Hatori
by Adel Mortescryche
Summary: When 7 year old Higurashi Kagome awoke from a nightmare and ran to the Goshinboku, the last thing she expected to find was a small boy having messy black hair, emerald green eyes and a lightening bolt scar almost completely buried in the snow... xover IYH
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – I most definitely don't own either Harry Potter, or Inuyasha. Both are amazing series in their own right, and belong to the people who thought them up. I'm just… messing around with the characters for my own amusement.

Warnings – AU. Very starkly AU for very obvious reasons. Can possibly contain slash in future, but it won't be explicit. Will also contain het relationships.

Timeline – Harry is (currently) 9 years old. Kagome is 7.

* * *

**Prologue**

It was barely dawn when she woke up with a startled gasp. Sweat was pouring down her temple, and her chest was heaving from the residual fright and pain from her dream. She abrupt swung her legs over the edge of her little bed, almost stumbling out of it.

The house was still really dark, and she could hear he soft snores coming from her parents' room. Her baby brother had been surprisingly quiet tonight. She was actually relieved. If e had been screaming or crying, her dreams, no… nightmares would probably have been worse. She stumbled towards the front door, her small body beginning to shiver in the cold. Maybe she should have pulled a coat on top of her pyjamas?

Too late now… She was abruptly at the door. She tugged at it, but it was still locked. She almost wished someone else was awake; she was still too short to reach the lock. Standing on the tips of her toes, she managed to reach the latch and somehow tugged it opened. As soon as the door creakily opened, she was off like a flash, rushing towards the Goshinboku. She didn't know why, but ever since she had had that dream, something had been telling her to go to the tree.

Ignoring how cold she was starting to feel and how wet her clothes had become, she pushed her way through the snow on the ground she until she finally reached the tree. She stopped at its base and looked around, wondering what had been so urgent in her dreams to send her here. It was only when she remained still for a few moments that she noticed _it_.

She gasped, rushing towards the dark head of hair that stood out starkly against the white of the snow. When she reached it, she noticed that it belonged to a little boy, maybe her age, maybe a little older. She reached out with trembling fingers, praying that the boy wasn't dead. She didn't want him to be dead.

When her fingers touched his skin, his hand abruptly shot up to catch her by the wrist. She stared, wide-eyed, into the boy's narrow, pain-filled eyes. They were green, a bright emerald green. They were very pretty, she decided.

"Who are you?" she whispered, almost scared to break the silence. He continued to stare at her, breathing heavily. The pain in his eyes was slowly replaced by confusion. He tilted his head, and whispered back something that didn't make any sense to her. She frowned and shook her head. He bit his lip, beginning to tremble. It was only then that she realized that the boy was dressed in what looked like rags belonging to an overgrown male, most definitely not his own. Coming to a quick decision that was almost easy for her young mind, she started tugging him upwards, desperate to get him and herself out of the cold, warmth-stealing snow. He was still staring at her in confusion, and moved sluggishly. She quickened her efforts to get him out of the snow, recognizing the signs of what mama called hypo-something-or-the-other. Not understanding but silently complying with her efforts, he tried to move a little faster as well, welcoming the warmth that seeped into his cold fingers from her.

By the time they finally reached the main house, their teeth were chattering, and the boy was beginning to look a little blue. He stumbled and fell down. Getting scared, she started hammering on the front door, screaming for help.

Her mama and papa immediately rushed to the door, staring in shock at her and the boy whom she was cradling in her lap. The shock seemed to melt away quickly though, and her papa quickly lifted the boy up and took him in. Her mama swung her up and carried her in as well; whispering soft admonishments in her ear, but she ignored whatever mama was saying, staring at the boy who was sitting on the table now, blinking slowly in the light. Grandpa had woken up, and he was making some hot chocolate for the boy while papa wrapped a warm blanket around his shoulders. Mama set her down beside the boy and went to turn up the heater.

Once the boy was sipping carefully on the hot chocolate, a look of wonder painted across his face, papa slid into a chair in front of him. The boy immediately stopped drinking and looked up to stare at him.

"What's your name?" he murmured softly, looking for some form of recognition in his eyes. Her eyes widened, and she quickly interrupted.

"Papa, he didn't answer me before when I asked him. He said something funny, I couldn't understand…"

Her papa's eyebrows rose, and he turned to stare at the boy who was now looking at her, just as confused as before. He opened his mouth and said something again, and her father sighed in understanding. To her surprise, he said something in the same language. The boy's head turned towards him immediately, looking relieved. They both said a few things, and the boy finally looked down, mumbling something. Unable to wait any longer, she asked her papa what his name was. Her papa looked at her, a strange mix of anger, horror and sorrow mixing in his eyes.

"Harry," he said finally. "Potter Harry."

Her eyebrows lowered in confusion. That was a very funny name. Noticing that he was looking at her silently, she quickly exchanged the frown for a bright smile.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome!" she exclaimed, giving him a wide grin. He blinked again, before finally giving her a hesitant smile. She didn't know why, but when she saw that smile, she felt something warm fill her. Like when she had a mug full of hot chocolate on a cold day, sitting in front of a fire. Or like a whole spoon of honey sliding down her throat. She slowly traded her grin for an honest smile, even as mama rushed for the phonebook.

*

It was only a few days later when a young woman stepped into her home. She stared at the woman beside a still silent Ha'ri, as she had taken to calling the strange boy that had suddenly entered her life. She had found out that he was actually two years older than her, though he didn't look it. Her mama looked very worried as she spoke to the woman along with papa and Grandpa. The woman gave an oily smile that she didn't really like. If she judged that shudder right, neither did Ha'ri.

They spoke for some more time, and finally, mama gave a relieved smile. Papa called out to both of them. She and Ha'ri looked at each other, before silently running to see what papa wanted.

When they reached the living room, she noticed that papa was smiling just as much as mama. He spoke quietly to Ha'ri, who frowned almost immediately. She quickly laced her fingers through his own, making him blink, before he smiled at her. She smiled back, a soft flush spreading across her cheeks. The smile abruptly disappeared when the woman cooed at them, though. Ha'ri's frown reappeared in full force.

"This lady is here to take Harry back to his family, Kagome." Her papa said quietly. She stiffened, fingers clenching Ha'ri's. His clenched too, before he let go. He looked up at the woman solemnly, before saying something in that strange language of his. She had learnt that it was called 'English'. She couldn't understand it at all, though Ha'ri could understand a bit of Japanese. Only if it was really slow, though.

The woman smiled at what he said, and said something in the same language. Ha'ri's shoulders stiffened, before he sighed and nodded. The woman looked at mama and papa, who nodded seriously. Seeing them nod, Ha'ri's eyes widened, before they went narrow again. He asked something, making the woman nod in response. He turned to papa, mama and Grandpa, saying something that made all of them smile. Grandpa grumbled something that she didn't hear clearly, and papa translated. Ha'ri actually giggled, a wide smile spreading across his face. He abruptly turned towards her and gave her a big hug, making her gasp in surprise. She hugged back though. After that, he quietly went along with the woman, who called a casual 'bye' to everyone.

She didn't see Ha'ri again for almost two months after that. By then, he had already changed too much to be called 'Ha'ri' ever again.

* * *

Well, that's that. Hopefully anyone who decides to read this will be willing to leave me a review. I understand that the positioning of the shrine and Goshinboku might be out of place. All the same, since this chapter is mostly in the point of view of a seven year old, I hope that I will be excused.

Also to be mentioned, this will NOT be Sesshoumaru x Kagome. If anything, its likely to be **unrequited **Kagome x Inuyasha.

No idea when I will post the next chapter, for reasons mentioned in my bio…


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I most definitely don't own either Harry Potter, or Inuyasha. Both are amazing series in their own right, and belong to the people who thought them up. I'm just… messing around with the characters for my own amusement.

Warnings – AU. Very starkly AU for very obvious reasons. Can possibly contain slash in future, but it won't be explicit. Will also contain het relationships. Possibly a **very** OOC Harry.

Timeline – Harry is (currently) 9 years old. Kagome is 7.

Italics indicate English. Normal speech indicates Japanese. Single quotation marks denote thoughts.

* * *

**Chapter 1 (Harry's Prologue)**

He stood silently at the corner, staring at the man buying something from a flower vendor who was walking by. The flower vendor smiled happily, making him frown. That made at least one unhappy person once the man was gone.

As the man moved forward, beginning to cross the road, he saw his chance. The light was going to turn red any moment, and once he was across, the man wouldn't be able to catch up. Pulling up his hood, he rushed forward and managed to slam into the man on purpose. The man stumbled forward with a cry of shock, and in the confusion, he quickly and unobtrusively snatched the slim glass canister that was inside the man's pocket. Calling out a hasty 'sumimasen', he full-out ran across the crossing to the other side. The man remained where he was standing, yelling obscenities after him, even as the traffic restarted. Still running, he kept moving until he was certain that the man wouldn't be able to catch him. Slowing down, he ducked into an alley to catch his breath. Feeling the presence of another materialising beside him, he immediately held out the canister for the other's perusal, still panting for breath. He knew without looking that the other was smiling.

"_Good job, brat."_ The tall, blond haired woman murmured, ruffling his hair. He simply frowned, looking up at her.

"_How much do I get for that?"_he asked, frowning when he saw her smirk.

"_Not all that much. It wasn't all that difficult, y'know. Of course, you pulled it off brilliantly. The man didn't even guess that you managed to take the canister away from him. Charlie followed up quite well, making sure to slam into him at some point."_

He nodded. That was good. The man wouldn't be able to figure out who exactly took the canister. And he wouldn't be able to remember Charlie's face either. And, since Charlie was older, it was likely that the blame would be falling on her.

"_Well, if I won't get much for the job, am I any closer to being given a family?" _ He asked, frown deepening when he noticed that the woman's smirk hadn't disappeared yet.

"_My, my. Who would have thought that you would manage to get so attached to that bunch in only a few days?" _ She murmured rhetorically. He scowled.

"_It's not about attachment, Miss. It's just that being a part of the Higurashi family would make it easier to continue my work. I'm quite certain that my so-called 'guardian' family would only be painful."_

She snorted in laughter, making him glare at her. Deciding that she wouldn't be willing to answer any more questions, he raised his hood. Turning, he was about to leave, when she lashed out to catch his shoulder roughly. Ignoring the harsh grip she had on him, he looked over his shoulder to stare at her. A feral smirk was painted across her red lips, and she had a look of almost unholy glee glimmering in her eyes.

"_We're not done here yet, Potter."_

His scowl was abruptly traded for a glare, and he shrugged off her hand.

"_Quit calling me that. Do you have any idea what could happen if the wrong person heard you call me that?!!" _He ground out, making her laugh.

"'_Course I do. I'm older than you, brat. At any rate, I'm to take you back to headquarters."_

His glare only increased in intensity, even as she fluidly lifted him up to cradle him against her. The world bled away in a dizzying blur of colour and suddenly meshed back together when they reappeared in front of the desk of the Manager.

"Potter Harry," murmured the dark haired man, turning to face them. The woman quickly dropped him to the floor, and it was only his situation-necessitated reflexes that prevented him from crashing on his ass. As it were, he managed to land on his feet like a cat. He straightened immediately, and gave a low bow. He stayed in the same position until the Manager asked him to straighten and take a seat. The woman was asked to leave.

Resting his chin upon his steepled fingers, the Manager continued to gaze at him. He had learnt early on that it was suicide to shift uneasily while in the presence of the Manager.

"I hear that your assignment was a success, child." He murmured, making him flush.

"Y-yes. I…succeed." He managed in broken Japanese. The Manager smirked slightly, making his flush deepen. He knew that he had been quite rude, but he honestly didn't have a choice. The fact that he could even say that much after two whole months was amazing. He hadn't exactly been given the opportunity to sit around and learn the language, after all. For the last two months, his entire life had gone haywire. To be honest, it had gone haywire ever since Uncle Vernon's company had transferred him to the new Tokyo branch that they were opening.

"That's right, you succeeded. With the end of this assignment, you have completed a total of 20 small assignments since you joined us. I believe that you deserve some kind of… 'reward' for your ceaseless work."

His eyes widened in shock, and in hope. His lips parted, but no sound came out. The Manager's smirk broadened.

"Marie has been telling me that you keep asking when you will be given a family. I believe that you have finally reached a point where you can be trusted to become a part of a family. Do you have any… preferences in this, or shall I choose one for you?"

He swallowed, and wet his lips. Then, sinking into a half-bow, he softly whispered.

"I… appreciate. Please, Higurashi. I prefer."

The Manager blinked in surprise, before laughing.

"Certainly! Quite the choice, that. Very well, I'll see if there's any chance of the Higurashi family accepting you."

He smiled in relief and happiness, for once feeling as though he was actually his age of nine years. Then, he straightened and cleared his face of any emotion, listening silently as the Manager read out his next assignment.

*

When they had finally reached Tokyo, being forced to leave behind any semblance of familiarity they might have felt, all of them had been taken aback by the vast differences between Surrey and Tokyo. For one, Surrey had been a quiet neighbourhood. When they reached Tokyo, they began to stay in a two bedroom apartment in the heart of the city, surrounded by noise and lights at all times of the day and night. For another, it was the overall attitude of the people. Uncle Vernon had had a largely easier time, since a majority of the people in his company were English anyway. On the other hand, he and Dudley had begun going to a public school near their apartment since there had been no better option. Not being able to understand a word of what their classmates and teachers were saying, they had been forced to gain a quick understanding of the language inspite of being unable to speak it. The teachers had been willing to let them answer in English in the beginning, getting the English teacher to correct their work, but they soon lost patience. The students in the class hadn't held back from bullying Dudley either, whom they looked upon as an anomaly. His own dark hair and unobtrusive nature had proven to be a saving grace.

Of course, he just _had_ to go and mess it up with his 'thou shalt help whomever thou canst' nature, hadn't he? Even as the bullying had increased, one day, Dudley's wallet had been snatched away from him. Dudley had ended up running all the way home, willing to leave the money behind to save his own hide. Noticing this, he had taken it upon himself to get into a fight with the kids and after a brutal 10 minutes, he managed to wrench the wallet away from them. He had ended up running back home as well, his fast feet being a boon in this case as he was able to loose the bullies in next to no time. But, when he finally reached home with the wallet, Uncle Vernon had come in at the same time. Catching sight of the wallet, he immediately decided to jump to the most 'obvious' conclusion, that he had been the one to steal it. Snatching the wallet from his fingers, his uncle whacked him so hard that he actually flew back into a wall from the force. Snarling some random things about 'stealing from the family that was kind enough to take him in' and other such, he demanded that he leave and never come back. The shock, humiliation and the outright _unfairness_ of it all had caused him to take his uncle up on the offer. Leave he did, though he _had_ planned on coming back. That was until he managed to get himself lost good and proper, of course. He kept wandering for at least three days, trying to figure out how to get back when he came across the most beautiful gateway that he had ever seen. The tall, red gate obviously belonged to a temple or shrine of some sort. So, he decided to climb up the stairs, hoping that he would at least find someone who would give him some food. The people in the churches back home were always quite helpful, so hopefully the people in the shrines here would be helpful as well.

His search for people had ended when he collapsed at the base of a large tree. Climbing up all those stairs had left him tired, so rather than searching for anyone, he had decided to sink down and rest his limbs and eyes for a bit. He had awoken with a start, catching hold of the hand that had been touching his face. He had been surprised to find himself face-to-face with a small Japanese girl with pretty brown eyes and long black hair. He had felt a little unnerved and confused, not to mention that his whole body had been feeling sluggish and numb. It was only when she had softly asked him who he was in Japanese that he'd noticed that they were surrounded by snow.

The girl had somehow led him till her home, where he had finally ended up meeting the rest of the Higurashi family. He had been relieved to find that the girl's, Kagome's, father could understand him to some extent. He had quickly explained that he had been kicked out of his home due to a misunderstanding, and Mr. Higurashi had offered to let him stay at their home until he could get in touch with Child Services. He had readily agreed, since he hadn't had any other option.

In the following days, he had slowly found that he had been integrated into the family inspite of him being an outsider. Kagome in particular had made him feel very welcome, nicknaming him 'Ha'ri' or something. When the woman had finally come in from Child Services, he had almost felt sad to leave.

Of course, he soon found out that the woman hadn't really been from Child Services at all. She had been from a weird organisation called the 'Ministry'. The woman had taken him back to her headquarters, where he had met the manager. There, the Manager had given him an offer. Either he could return to the Dursleys' or he could remain a ward of the Ministry and work for them. He would earn money and, eventually, he could become a part of another family. A new beginning.

He had readily accepted the second option, especially after he'd heard _why_ exactly he had been with the Dursleys in the first place. Since his uncle had kicked him out, the so called blood protection that he was entitled to had been cancelled out. He could be safe only when he was with people who truly counted him as family, after all.

He knew that he was far too young to be working for a living, especially some of the things he had done in order to work towards being entitled to gain a family, but he didn't regret it. Especially now, since there was a possibility that he could become a part of the Higurashi family. He didn't mind if anyone said that he was unnaturally fixated on that family. After all, they had unconditionally accepted him even though they didn't know him or understand him.

He wouldn't mind becoming a member of such a family at all.

* * *

Well, here's the first chapter. Or the second prologue, since this technically gives Harry's point of view on the scenario he's been thrust into… At any rate, I won't be updating this for at least a month now, what with my finals coming up from Monday. Sigh… My Pol Science paper's going to kill me…

I realise that I've added many OCs to the mix, but I think I'm justified. Can't have an AU story in a completely different country without a few new characters, yeah? Harry's situation and the odd division of the Japanese Ministry will be expanded upon eventually.

Please **review**, I'd love to know what you think about this. Especially Harry's portrayal. I realise he comes across as unnaturally jaded for his age, but I think it makes sense thanks to his situation. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback for the prologue, you all made my day!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – I most definitely don't own either Harry Potter, or Inuyasha. Both are amazing series in their own right, and belong to the people who thought them up. I'm just… messing around with the characters for my own amusement.

Warnings – AU. Very starkly AU for very obvious reasons. Can possibly contain slash in future, but it won't be explicit. Will also contain het relationships. Possibly **very** OOC Harry.

Timeline – Harry is (currently) 9 years old. Kagome is 7. As is obvious, Souta is still a baby.

Italics indicate English. Normal speech indicates Japanese. Single quotation marks denote thoughts.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

She had been on her way home when he crashed into her. She had stumbled and almost fallen down when he suddenly reached out and stabilized her. She had been ready to yell at the boy, when she suddenly noticed the smiling emerald green eyes that were eying her. Her eyes widened, and she squealed loudly, all but bouncing onto him, making him laugh softly. More than one of her classmates stopped to stare at them, a few girls giggling and muttering things while the boys backed off, praying that she wouldn't suddenly leap at them next.

When she finally pulled back, he was still smiling softly. She flushed, but it was only when she was smiling back that she noticed. That warm undertone that had been in his smile before was gone now. She didn't know why, but it made her feel uneasy.

"Um… Ha'ri! What are you doing here? How come you're so close to my school? You've grown taller! It's only been two months! How come you're _taller_?!!" she said rapidly, before flushing in embarrassment. She was about to repeat herself, when he laughed quietly and answered, to her surprise, in Japanese.

"I… In area. With 'helper'. And, I grow quick?" he offered bemusedly. His Japanese was horribly broken, but at least he was making sense. Though, she really couldn't understand what he meant by 'helper'. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud voice. She realised, with a small pout, that the voice was speaking in 'engrish'.

They were joined by a tall, beautiful woman with long blond hair. She noticed with a start that it was the same woman as before, except that she had blond hair instead of the previous brown. The woman blinked at her in surprise, before laughing loudly. She was surprised to notice that this loud laugh was actually much more natural than the woman's oily and fake smiles. The woman clapped Ha'ri loudly on his shoulder, and she couldn't help but stare in horror as Ha'ri's soft smile was abruptly replaced by a hateful glare. The woman didn't seem all that surprised, she actually snickered. Ha'ri all but snarled at her, snapping out a sharp statement in his language. The woman rolled her eyes, before turning to look at _her._

"So, you're Higurashi Kagome, right? I don't believe I introduced myself to you last time. My name is Kurosawa Marie. I am with child services, and have been assigned to Harry's case."

Ha'ri, _Harry_, interrupted with something that sounded rather rude, making the woman, Kurosawa-san, snort in laughter.

"My, rather protective, aren't we _Potteru-san?_" she sneered. She could only watch silently as Ha'ri snorted, and muttered something in English. He turned and gave her a small, apologetic smile.

"Sorry. See later, yes?" he stated more than asked. She nodded dumbly, still not able to come to terms with this harsher, less innocent version of the boy she had met only two months ago. Two months ago, she was certain that he wouldn't glare at people, or speak outright rudely with anyone. He was untrusting back then, but he hadn't seemed capable of openly showing his distrust as he was now.

Seeing her nod, his smile widened. He came forward and gave her a quick hug, which she automatically returned. She couldn't help but hold herself a little stiffer in his embrace than before, though. After seeing him flawlessly switching his emotions from one to the next, as though not truly feeling the first, she wasn't really able to act the same as she had been before. He seemed to notice the change immediately. When he pulled back, he wasn't smiling as openly as he had been. Flinching slightly, she all but jumped at him to give him another hug before he could pull away completely. When she pulled back the second time, he was looking more than a little flustered, while Kurosawa-san was staring at the both of them with raised eyebrows. She flushed in embarrassment, and managed a hasty bow, before shooting off towards the shrine.

*

"So… you sure you want to become a Higurashi?" Marie asked, eyebrows raised. Still feeling mildly flustered, Harry turned to grace her with an irate look.

"_Of course I am. And, I mean what I said before. _Stay away_ from Kagome. And the rest of the Higurashis, for that matter."_

Marie rolled her eyes, and responded in kind.

"_Well, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Why don't you join another family and stay in touch with the Higurashis? I'm sure you and Kagome would make a rather cute couple some time in the future."_

Harry stiffened, and shot her an incredulous look.

"_I'm _nine years old_, Kurosawa! And, anyway, I have no 'interest' whatsoever in her. Purely platonic, I _assure_ you," _he all but hissed at her, stalking away. Marie snickered and followed him, merrily hopping from one step to the next.

"_My but you've got an amazing vocabulary for a nine year old. Sure you're not just a dwarf, hiding your age for kicks?"_

Harry rolled his eyes, shooting her a disgusted look. He didn't bother to dignify her last comment with an answer. Noticing his reluctance to answer, Marie laughed quietly. A feral smirk touched her lips for all of one second before disappearing and suddenly, she was back to acting like the cold bitch that she was.

"_At any rate, we need to meet up with her father in the coffee shop. You ready to play your role as the sad, sorry kid who had to be rescued from his home for the second time?"_

"_Sure, as long as you're ready to play your role as the Child Services Representative who wants the Higurashis to adopt her charge."_

Marie simply smirked, making him roll his eyes. God, but the woman was painful.

"_Since we're both ready, let's get going." _He ground out, making her snicker. Dropping both her hands on his shoulders, she proceeded to firmly direct him towards the coffee shop they had originally been heading towards.

Even as they kept walking, Harry ignoring any random statements the blonde made, he couldn't help but think back to the chance meeting he had had with his hopefully soon-to-be younger sister. She was just the same, long black hair and beautiful, warm brown eyes. Not to mention her ever loving hugs. He couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face. Now that he actually thought about it, the girl had been the first person to actually accept him without anything attached. The first to actually accept him for _himself_.

That meant ever so much to him now. Especially after finding out the whole story behind his not having parents and his utterly unloving relatives.

"Heads up, brat. We're here."

He blinked, and looked up immediately. Here, indeed. The coffee shop was a small, cosy place. The kind that he wouldn't mind hanging out in for some time if he wanted some peace and quiet. Marie still had an oddly gentle yet malicious smile on her face, which made him frown.

"_Kurosawa. For God's sake, at least _act_ as though you're a caring Child Services Rep. Go around smirking like that, and the man is _bound_ to figure out that there's something wrong."_

"Sure thing, kid. Just hold up your side of the act. And, try to speak in Japanese every once in a while. It won't kill you."

Shoulders stiffening imperceptibly, Harry looked down before silently following her into the shop.

*

They weren't late. That he was definitely certain of. They couldn't be late. He had just been too… _early_ in his eagerness. And apprehension.

Slowly sipping at his coffee, Higurashi Atsuo sighed inwardly. He honestly hadn't known what to think when child services had gotten in touch with him again, barely two months after they had taken the young Harry Potter out of his hands. He had assumed that the boy had been returned to his family, and so, Atsuo had returned to caring for his own. Then, after suddenly receiving a call, claiming that the boy's family had never been found, and that the only foster family that had been willing to take him in had turned out to be abusive…

Hearing the soft tinkling that signified someone's entry into the shop, he quickly looked up, and proceeded to choke on a mouthful of coffee. Swallowing hurriedly, he placed the cup on the table before him, and put up a hand to attract the attention of the tall blonde woman who had entered, closely followed by a small, dark haired boy. Catching sight of him, she gave a broad smile. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, she proceeded to steer him towards Atsuo's table.

"Higurashi-san. Pleasure to meet you again, despite the less than pleasurable circumstances," she said easily, bowing politely in her seat once she had sat down. The boy, Harry, had quickly yet silently scrambled into a seat as well, and was now studiously ignoring both of them, staring at the glass tabletop. Atsuo nodded distractedly, eying the small boy who seemed so different from the quiet yet innocently happy child that he met two months ago. Turning his attention back to the blonde, he gave a slight bow as well.

"I could say the same, Kurosawa-san. I have to say that I was rather surprised when I received a call from your department."

Kurosawa smiled sadly, and patted Harry on his head. The boy's shoulders stiffened, but he said nothing.

"You have to understand, we weren't planning on calling you ourselves. When we were unable to find any traces of Harry's family, we had been forced to draft him into foster care, as he had been so _uncomfortable_ with the thought of entering an orphanage, even on a temporary basis… Later, when we received a call from the family's neighbours about their suspicions, we immediately removed him from their 'care', as you must have been informed over the telephone…"

Atsuo nodded silently, returning his gaze to the boy who was sitting stock-still in his seat. Frowning contemplatively, he put up a hand to stall the woman. He cleared his throat slightly, hoping that Harry would look up. Sadly, the boy merely stiffened a bit more, shifting his gaze from the table to the floor.

"_Harry, you must be thirsty or hungry from your travel… Is there anything that you would like to eat? Or drink?"_

The brunet stayed silent for a few more seconds, before finally tilting his head upwards to some degree. He wasn't looking directly at him, but Atsuo was relieved to see that deep emerald gaze fixated on him from beneath the boy's rather unruly fringe.

Harry pursed his lips lightly, and glanced to his right. Atsuo turned his attention back to the blonde who looked marginally surprised and, strangely enough, _amused_, before she gave a nod. Seemingly taking that to be some form of permission, Harry looked back at him, and tilted his head to the side.

"Really? Buy me thing?"

Atsuo blinked first in surprise, then in delight to hear the child's broken yet marginally confident speech.

"Of course I will. You can take a look in the menu, and I'll get you whatever you want."

Harry eyed him with a shuttered expression, before finally giving him a slow yet honest smile. Catching a glimpse of the child that Kagome had saved on that cold day in November in Harry's smile, Atsuo couldn't hold back the relief in his own. Raising a hand, he gestured towards a waiter to bring them a menu.

*

After being given his chocolate milkshake, Harry unobtrusively sipped at it, silently observing the conversation that Higurashi-san and Kurosawa were having while he continued to play the role of a boy who had been through an abusive household for two months. After the things he had actually seen and done those months, though, he couldn't play the role of a scared little boy all that well; inspite of that being the role he had been told to play. He decided to go with a standoff-ish and rather cold depiction of his 'prior self' instead, since that would be easier to cast off over the years as he stayed in the Higurashi household. From Higurashi-san's reactions, his acting capabilities seemed to be acceptable.

Throughout the conversation, which Kurosawa was gradually steering towards the possibility of the Higurashis adopting him, the blonde had the gall to occasionally shift her face towards him to _smirk._ If Higurashi-san hadn't been so consumed with ensuring that he was fine, the man would definitely have suspected that something was amiss.

Finally, at the end of her lengthy explanation, Harry watched as Higurashi-san sat back, looking as though he didn't know whether to be happy, worried or utterly confused.

"…So, what you're asking is, am I willing to adopt Harry?" he asked finally. This time, the stiffening of Harry's shoulders was completely voluntary, being unable to hide his unconscious reaction. He had hoped for so _long_ that the Higurashis would accept him… Ever since he had been taken in by them _before…_ before the Manager's division had ever gotten the chance to sink their claws into him…

Kurosawa simply nodded, an uncharacteristic look of sobriety marring the usual twinge of sadistic amusement on her face. Not that Higurashi-san would have been able to tell the difference.

Higurashi-san bit his lower lip, looking torn. Closing his eyes, he seemed to think over it for a few moments, before sighing and opening his eyes. Harry felt a chill permeate through his spine, reaching up to fill his very synapses.

Looking first at Kurosawa, then at him, Higurashi-san looked pained but regretful.

"Kurosawa-san, I truly appreciate the amount of trust you're placing in me, but…"

Harry abruptly choked on his milkshake. Higurashi-san stopped in the middle of his apologetic speech, looking horrified as he reached out to presumably pat him on the back, but Harry instinctually edged his chair away from the man. Higurashi-san was left with his hand reaching out into space. Looking contrite, he hesitantly pulled it back. He turned back to Kurosawa, still looking rather apologetic, but particularly decided in his manner.

"As I was saying, I appreciate the amount of trust you're putting in me, but you'll have to wait. At least for a few days. I need to discuss this with my family, and my children. As much as it pains me to refrain from doing so, I simply _can't_ give you an immediate answer."

Harry swallowed roughly, before forcing himself to get up. Kurosawa looked at him from the corner of her eyes, apparently unsurprised. She delicately bowed, before straightening to stand up with a smile. Higurashi-san stood up as well, his gaze shifting from him to the blonde woman beside him.

"Thank you for your consideration and for your time, Higurashi-san. I'll get in touch with you after a week then?"

Harry looked up for the first time since he had actually set foot in the shop, unable to hold back the raw hope and sheer _want_ building up within him. Higurashi-san's warm brown eyes met his for one very long moment, before he looked away to meet Kurosawa's gaze instead.

"That'll be great, Kurosawa-san. You and Harry are welcome to visit the shrine any number of times within the week. In fact, I would actually appreciate it, since it could help the family decide faster."

Eying the man shrewdly, Kurosawa couldn't hold back her characteristically toothy smirk.

"Why, _Mr. Higurashi_, you speak as though you've already made your decision."

Harry felt something clench almost _painfully_ around his heart as Higurashi-san met her teasing comment with pure seriousness as he answered.

"I believe that I have, _Miss Kurosawa_. I know what my decision on this matter is. All that is left is for my wife and children to decide whether or not they are comfortable with a new family member."

*

It was all very strange, Kagome decided. She had been bursting to tell her family about her chance meeting with Harry on her way back home, but both Mama and Grandpa had been acting very strange. When she had said that she wanted to say something, both of them had given her very… _weird_ smiles before telling her to say whatever it was that she wanted to say after her papa had gotten home. Mama had then proceeded to usher her towards baby Souta's room.

She honestly didn't know what to think, so she decided to change into her home clothes before going into the baby room to play with her baby brother. The adorable, gurgling ball of laughter was enough to make her forget her confusion and the strangeness, at least until her papa actually got home.

She had known the exact moment at which Papa returned; Mama and Grandpa had both given very loud gasps that she had been able to hear even in the baby room. Poking Souta in the stomach one last time to hear him giggle, she turned around to leave the room and stealthily sneak towards the kitchen, hoping to hear the reason for everyone's strangeness.

Even after she reached the kitchen and hid behind the door, she still wasn't able to hear anything. Everyone was speaking so softly… Then she flinched, as someone banged a hand against the kitchen counter.

"_Adopt him?!!_ Are they _insane?!!_" yelled her Grandpa loudly. She frowned in confusion. Adopt? What was that?

"Grandpa, don't be like that… it's a perfectly understandable consideration. We _were_ the ones who actually got in touch with them in the first place…" said mama consolingly, though she sounded shocked herself. Papa was still silent.

"All the same, both of you already have two children, one of them a baby boy! Surely they should take such things into consideration before asking that you take another one under your wing!" he snapped back. Kagome tilted her head to the side, trying her hardest to understand what all the adults were talking about so angrily. Finally, her papa entered the conversation.

"Father, its fine. I myself don't mind the request. I was seriously considering it before I reminded myself to discuss it with everyone at home, especially the children. I should think that Souta and Kagome would be the most affected by this decision." He said seriously. Kagome blinked in surprise, before smiling with pride. Her papa thought she was old enough to understand what all the adults were discussing! Then, her smile was quickly exchanged for a frown. What in the world did 'adopt' _mean_, if it was making everyone get so angry and worried?

"And why would you say that? A child is like an _investment_ my boy, the time, care and money that goes into the upbringing of two children, let alone _three…"_

Kagome finally thought she could understand what was happening, remembering her parents and Grandpa talking about something like this before baby Souta came into the house. Maybe her mama had another baby Souta inside her now?

"Father, I'm not thinking in terms of investments, money or anything of the sort when I say that Kagome and Souta would be most affected by this decision if we do take it. Those _are _important things to think about, but all the same. If we _do_ adopt Harry, both Kagome and Souta would be getting an _older_ brother. The amount of change that could cause in their relationships… not to mention the pressure that it could possibly put on Harry himself…"

Kagome couldn't stop the loud gasp that escaped her lips. Harry? Harry as an older brother, for her and Souta?!! She was so shocked that she didn't even notice when the conversation inside the kitchen suddenly came to a stop. So, she was still sitting in a daze behind the door when Mama actually came to open it. Kagome quickly put out a hand to stop herself from crashing into the floor. She stayed like that for a few seconds, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment, even as both papa and Grandpa stared at her from their seats in the kitchen.

"Kagome? Why were you hiding outside like that?" asked papa finally, sounding more than a little amused. Kagome pushed herself up, only to flop back on the ground with a pout.

"Because mama and grandpa were acting very strange!" she snapped, still pouting. Papa's eyebrows rose, and he turned his gaze towards mama and grandpa, both of whom were looking uncomfortable.

"Strange?" he repeated, a little curious. Mama sighed, leaning against the doorjamb.

"When Kagome came home, she said that she wanted to say something to us, but since we were so worried about your meeting with the child services representative and Harry-"

"Oh! You met Kurosawa-san and Ha'ri?" interrupted Kagome, wide-eyed. Mama stopped talking to stare at her, as did grandpa. Papa cleared his throat.

"Do you know Kurosawa-san, Kagome?" he asked carefully. Kagome nodded happily.

"Yes, I do. I met her today on the way back home along with Ha'ri. She was very strange too, she had a big smile on her face, and she had been teasing Ha'ri a lot… Ha'ri got very angry with her and said something in _engrish_… it sound funny, like _su-taye waye_ or something… and he said my name…" she said, slowly winding down in her confusion, remembering the harsh glare that had appeared on his face when he had spoken to the tall, beautiful woman. Mama and grandpa looked confused too, but papa looked shocked. He stared at her for a moment, before sighing.

"Well, putting that aside, I might as well ask you now. This is a very important question, Kagome, and I want you to think very carefully before you answer, okay?" he said, bending down so that he could look at her without any obstructions. Kagome straightened herself, breathing in deeply before nodding with a look of intense concentration on her face.

"What would you say if Ha'ri could become your brother? Your big brother?"

Kagome blinked, and all the air she had breathed in got stuck somewhere in her throat. She tried not to choke. She stared up at her papa, hoping that he actually meant what he was saying. Though, he _had_ been discussing it with mama and grandpa…

"Really? Like, Ha'ri will stay in the shrine with us and everything? He'll come to the same school as me?" she asked carefully. Her papa nodded seriously, as did mama. Grandpa just looked away with a snort.

She thought about it for a few seconds, before she gave a wide smile.

"Okay!"

Mama and papa blinked in surprise, while grandpa choked. Papa coughed, sounding as though he was trying not to laugh.

"Okay? Just like that?"

Kagome nodded happily.

"Ha'ri's nice; he really liked Souta and played with him a lot. He called me Kago-chan and taught me how to climb trees really fast. He could sing some nice songs that put Souta to sleep when he was feeling tired, and one day when some boys who had come to the main shrine with _their_ mama and papa tried to pull my hair, Ha'ri got really angry and started yelling at them. They went away really quickly! And-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Kagome!" gasped papa. Mama was already laughing, while grandpa was looking surprised.

"Did Harry really do all that?" asked grandpa suspiciously.

She nodded again, scowling at him when he didn't believe her. Papa still looked surprised, and amused, while mama was trying to stop her laughter.

"I guess you've made the decision for yourself and Souta. Now, all that's left would be mama and grandpa." Said papa, smiling. When mama finally stopped laughing, she smiled as well.

"I don't think I would mind if he's so responsible and such a good influence on Kagome and Souta. And he obviously cares for them both. Kago-chan seems to be quite attached to him, too…" she said. Kagome squealed, and looked up imploringly at her grandpa. Seeing the look in her eyes, grandpa coughed gruffly before looking away.

"Fine! If all of you are so excited about it, go ahead! But, don't say that I didn't warn you!" he said sharply, though the effect was ruined by the small smile that was curling around his lips. Kagome squealed in delight, and all but threw herself at her grandpa, who laughed before hoisting her up into his arms.

'Ha'ri's going to come back! He's going to become my brother! Oh, I'm so happy! Wait till I tell Souta!' she thought excitedly, giggling as her grandpa threw her in the air. Papa clapped his hands together, while mama called out worriedly, telling grandpa to be careful.

Mama, papa and grandpa. Her, Ha'ri, and Souta. They were going to be the happiest family in the world. She just knew it.

* * *

And, there you have the second chapter.

Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to review, you all made my day! Also, thank you for the many alerts and favourites. I would be happier if everyone who put this story on alert could take the time to leave a review as well, though...

At any rate, there are certain things that I must address now. For one, this is not going anywhere _near_ the possibility of a pairing between Harry and Kagome. For one, at this moment they're only 9 and 7. For another, Harry thinks of her as a younger sister. I hope I don't need to go into any more reasons...

Another matter is Grandpa's reaction to Harry joining the family. Its not that he _hates_ the thought, per se. It's just that he's worried for his son's family. Once he's certain that another child won't put any strain on the family, he'll go back to being the ever cheerful and superstitious old man that most Inuyasha watchers/readers know and love.

Lastly, this will be the end of the 'child-Harry' chapters, as from the following chapters, there will be a timeskip to the main story. Harry will be 17; Kagome will be 15 while Souta will be 8.

This concludes my particularly long stream of ranting and explanations. As I mentioned before, no idea when I can get the next chapter out. To be honest, I haven't even started on it. My exams are still on, and will conclude only on May 1st. I actually finished and posted this chapter only because of the sudden feedback I received from many reviewers and alerters, which outright made me bounce off the walls in my room, lol!

Thanks once again to everyone for reading this, and for God's sake, if you actually read the story, please click that little green and grey button down there and **review!!!**


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – I most definitely don't own either Harry Potter, or Inuyasha. Both are amazing series in their own right, and belong to the people who thought them up. I'm just… messing around with the characters for my own amusement.

Warnings – AU. Very starkly AU for very obvious reasons, mainly in the HP plotline. Can possibly contain slash in future, but it won't be explicit. Will also contain het relationships. Possibly **very** OOC Harry. Spoilers for the whole HP plotline, and most of the Inuyasha plotline as according to the anime.

Timeline – Harry is 17 years old. Kagome is 15. Souta is eight.

Italics indicate English, and flashbacks. Normal speech indicates Japanese. Bold can possibly indicate angry demons. Single quotation marks denote thoughts.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that the stillness of the morning was still too… well, _still_. Stretching languidly in her bed, she reached out behind herself, scrounging around before she found the plastic form of her alarm clock. Eyes still feeling leaden, she sleepily rubbed at her right eye while yawning. She choked in the middle of her yawn when she noticed the time.

'Oh… Oh, _crap!'_ she yelped mentally, hastily throwing the clock back onto the shelf before rushing to her closet. She grabbed a towel for herself, along with a uniform, before darting towards the door. She swung her room door open and went flying out, only to collide with a rather firm and warm surface. Wincing at the impact, she almost lost her balance when a lightly muscled arm deftly wound around her waist, saving her from the embarrassment of an 'ass-meets-floor' moment. She blinked in confusion, before a soft pink flush stole over her features.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Kago-chan…" murmured a softly amused voice from above.

Trying to control a flush that was darkening by the second, Kagome Higurashi slowly looked up into a very familiar pair of dark, emerald green eyes.

"O-Ohayou, aniki…" she mumbled. The 17 year old before her simply laughed before pulling away.

"Better go and take a shower quickly, Kagome… You're running quite late." He said pointedly, that quietly amused twinkle still dancing in his eyes. Kagome couldn't help but glower at him, cheeks still marginally flushed in embarrassment. Spinning around with a huff, she shot off towards the bathroom, suddenly remembering that she was running late for school. Her highly amused brother couldn't stop the smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Hatori-kun? Was that Kagome?"

Blinking at the quiet voice, he looked over his shoulder to meet the soft brown gaze of his mother. He smiled back.

"Yes, okaa-san. I was on my way to wake her up."

"Ha'ri-ani's lying, mama. I saw him turn off nee-chan's alarm clock today morning." Interjected the voice of his younger brother. He blinked innocently at the raised eyebrows that the comment gained. Mama sighed fondly, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Hatori-kun…" she murmured. The brunet simply shrugged, eyes still twinkling in amusement.

"It's her birthday, okaa-san. Nothing wrong in letting her sleep for some time, is there?" he offered innocently, the inflection of his voice completely at odds with the wicked smirk that was spreading across his face. Mama rolled her eyes, and made a shooing motion at both her sons.

"Get going, both of you. You need to get dressed for school as well. It's a good thing that both of you had a shower in advance… unless that had something to do with your plan?"

The older male simply smiled, while the younger nodded emphatically.

"I don't know what you're talking about, okaa-san. Any rate, I won't be going to school today. I've got some work to do, so I'll be dropping Kagome and Souta off before I leave."

Cool green met ever-patient brown, as both gazes seemed to size each other up. Souta looked on mutely, knowing from experience that it was better not to interfere in these silent arguments that tended to take place between mama and his older brother.

His older brother was truly an enigma. As far as Souta was concerned, Hatori-ani had always been a part of the family. Oh, he knew that they weren't related by blood, but in his little world, that fact didn't count. Kagome had said that Hatori had become their brother when Souta only been a year old. In fact, Kagome had said that originally, Hatori hadn't even _been_ Hatori. His name had been something completely different… But, he honestly didn't care either way. Hatori was his elder brother, and had been taking care of him and Kagome, not to mention mama and grandpa, for so long that nothing else really mattered.

Mama finally sighed, and broke her gaze away from the emerald eyes that were still watching her.

"Very well… I will see you in the evening. You had best come home as early as possible, young man. Today is your sister's fifteenth birthday; I don't think she will ever forgive you if you miss the celebration at home." She said pointedly. Hatori simply nodded, before dropping his hands onto Souta's shoulders, gently yet inexorably pushing him towards his room.

"Get yourself ready for school, Souta," he said softly when they reached the doorway. Souta looked up to give him a cheeky smile before shrugging the elder's hands off and stepping inside.

Staring at the closed door, Hatori rolled his eyes in fond amusement before turning around to head towards his own room.

*

Kagome sighed in relief as the hot water slid down her aching muscles. She didn't have enough time to actually appreciate the heat, knowing for a fact that if she didn't rush, she would end up missing the school bell. And that wasn't a good idea, especially not with an overprotective older brother that would no doubt get on her case if she got any black marks on her credit.

Still, she couldn't help the feeling of affection that spread through her when she though of the slim, green-eyed boy.

*

"_Ha'ri!"_

_She laughed in delight while launching herself at the shocked boy standing outside their front door. The blond woman behind him, Kurosawa-san, was watching her with raised eyebrows, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Ha'ri was here! Her new brother was here!_

"_Ka-Kago-chan…" mumbled the flustered boy, carefully trying to pry her away from himself, but she stuck on as tightly as she could. She heard Kurosawa-san cough in amusement above them. Ha'ri stiffened in shock, and he almost pulled away completely, but she scowled and clung on, unwilling to let him go._

"_Kagome, sweetheart, you'll have to let your brother breathe sometime soon," said papa amusedly from behind her, sounding as though he were trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. Ha'ri stiffened even more, if that were possible, and forced himself away from her to stare up at papa in shock. Staring at his wide green eyes, Kagome frowned._

"_You don't want to be my brother?" she asked him softly. Those wide eyes shot down to lock onto her own before he shook his head wildly._

"_No, no! Not that, I… you…" she watched in confusion as he seemed to struggle with his words. To her surprise, Kurosawa-san laughed quietly before coming to his rescue._

"_What he means to say is, you've already decided? This _is_ the first time that we're actually coming to meet you in this week. We weren't expecting such a quick decision."_

_Ha'ri shot Kurosawa-san a look over his shoulder before he looked back at her and nodded quickly._

"_Yes, yes. That what I mean."_

_Papa actually _did_ laugh this time, stepping out to tug her inside. He put a hand on Ha'ri's shoulder and pointedly steered him in as well. Lastly, he looked at Kurosawa-san, obviously expecting her to step in too, before coming inside after all of them._

_Mama was sitting, waiting for them in the living room. Grandpa was there too, and Souta had been put on a soft blanket that Kagome had been sharing with him before Ha'ri and Kurosawa-san had come in. All the adults immediately started talking, but she tugged Ha'ri down to sit with her on the blanket, so that they could both play with Souta._

_Her baby brother was staring up at both of them with a very big smile, his wide eyes filled with innocent laughter. Kagome giggled, while Ha'ri smiled down at him._

"_Souta, this is Ha'ri. You remember Ha'ri, right?" she asked the bundle, tickling his stomach. Souta burst into small baby giggles, wriggling in delight where he had been placed and unsuccessfully trying to catch her fingers. Ha'ri smiled beside her, and reached out to offer her brother, _their_ brother, a finger to latch on to._

_Ha'ri was grinning lightly, slowly moving his hand from right to left, and Souta waved his arm in time with him, giggling and babbling happily all the while. Kagome smiled brightly, and sat up._

"_Ha'ri's going to be our aniki, Souta!" she declared loudly. The adults suddenly fell silent behind them, but she ignored the adults in favour of the slack-jawed expression that had appeared on Ha'ri's face._

"A-aniki…?_" repeated Ha'ri breathlessly, his wide eyes filled with something that looked like wonder and hope._

_Kagome nodded, her bright smile not budging an inch._

"_Of course, silly! You'll be our big brother, and that makes you our aniki!" she said, nodding in satisfaction after making her statement. Souta gurgled beside them, pulling at Ha'ri's finger until the other boy turned his attention to him. Souta gave him a wide, toothless grin and shook his finger firmly. The adults started talking again behind them, Kurosawa-san sounding as though she had a big smirk on her face._

"_Aniki…" said Ha'ri softly, sounding as though he was trying to taste the word. Kagome and Souta both watched his face, even as a small smile spread over his features. He looked up to stare at both of them in turn, making Souta give another baby giggle. Kagome nodded again, smiling quietly and somehow understanding that the word was very important for her new brother._

"_Ha'ri-ani." She said seriously, smiling sweetly at him and doing an internal dance of victory when he smiled back._

*

Kagome shook her head incredulously as she dried herself off, unable to believe that she'd once been so clingy around the brunet. She had long since grown out of her old 'Ha'ri-ani' catchphrase phase; though she didn't think she could ever bring herself to call him 'Hatori'. Despite the fact that she had been the one to suggest the name. She couldn't even bring herself to call him 'Harry'. Not that he would _ever_ answer anyone calling him _that_ anymore…

She had known instinctually, even all those years ago, that there was something special about the boy who had come to be her elder brother. She never really thought about it all that much, since aniki tended to give a soft smile and change the subject whenever she tried to coax any information out of him, but _anyone_ would get suspicious if their siblings would walk in and out of the house at all hours of the day and night, and sometimes ended up coming home covered in questionable substances. Sometimes, she wondered if aniki even _spent_ his nights within the Higurashi Shrine grounds. Not that she would ever pry…

_Not_.

She snorted to herself as she slid on her uniform, smoothing out the wrinkles as she tried to make her hair look passable at the same time. Nodding in satisfaction, and offering her reflection a cheeky grin and a flying kiss, she swung open the bathroom door, only to collide with her older brother once again.

Flushing brightly, she pouted at the boy who was coughing uncontrollably. Obviously trying to hide his laughter.

"ANIKI!" she wailed, only succeeding in making him give up on his 'coughs', instead bursting into a loud bout of laughter. She simply stood, eyebrow twitching until the laughter actually dwindled down.

Eying her irate expression, Hatori had to hide yet another smile. It was just so much _fun_ irritating his cute little sister… It was an added bonus that she could never control her reactions. He held out a small, brightly coloured box as a peace offering.

Kagome blinked in surprise, accepting the box and staring at it in confusion. She tilted her head to the side in bemusement, even as her aniki huffed in aggravation.

"Happy Birthday." He reminded her quietly, smiling when she goggled at him.

"Wait, what? Birthday?" she repeated dumbly. Souta, who had been standing behind Hatori, burst into barely containable snickers.

"Nee-chan, it's your birthday today! I can't believe you forgot, especially after all that planning and reminding you did yesterday!"

Kagome blinked, and flushed yet again.

'Fine birthday _this_ is turning out to be. It's not fair, older brothers shouldn't go around embarrassing their sisters so much on their birthdays!' she thought petulantly, pouting up at the subject of her ire. Almost as though he knew what she was thinking, Hatori smirked, but put up his hands as though to ward away her anger.

Grumbling, she turned her irritation towards ripping off the wrapping paper on the box. Once the paper was off, she quickly flipped up the lid of the small brown box, blinking in shock at the carefully wound strip of cloth within. She painstakingly eased it out, ignoring Souta groan of 'it's not made of air! Take it out already!' It was a long, silken crimson ribbon with swirls of deep green done in satin. It was quite simple really, but strangely enough, something about it warmed her heart. Wiping her face of any wayward emotions, she looked up to grace her aniki with a scowl.

"Am I supposed to be a Christmas tree or something? Crimson and green, aniki?" she asked testily. She really shouldn't have been surprised when the only reaction it got out of him was a weird half smile-half smirk.

"Come here, I'll help you put it up," he offered. She eyed him suspiciously, while Souta rolled his eyes and turned around to go down the stairs with a loud grumble of 'not interested if you two act all sappy'.

Hatori looked after his little brother with a stoic expression on his face, and seemed to come back to himself only when Kagome poked him in the shoulder. Looking back at her, he blinked when he noticed that she was holding out the ribbon to him, face still flushed although she was scowling rather dangerously at him. He smiled indulgently at her, gently prying the ribbon from her hands and quickly edging away when she spun around with a huff.

*

"Oh, Kagome! The ribbon looks beautiful!"

Kagome smiled happily at her mother, pointedly ignoring the amused smirk that was playing across Hatori's lips. Souta, who had already managed to scarf down his meal, was grinning up at her too.

"Did you put it up yourself?" Mama asked her, smiling slightly when Kagome shook her head.

"Aniki did. Mama, I think he's got a girlfriend hidden away somewhere. It's either that, or he's been watching too many hairstyling shows!" she declared, laughing along with Souta when grandpa squawked loudly at the statement. Hatori smiled politely, ignoring grandpa's shocked exclamations while he drank his tea. He was still drinking while Kagome finished her breakfast. When Kagome caught sight of the time, she gasped.

"Aniki, I need to leave!"

He sighed, and drained the last of his tea. Souta currently bouncing in place by the front door, waiting for his older siblings to get out.

"Nee-chan, Ha'ri-ani! We're getting late!" he yelled out impatiently, sliding the door open.

"Get yourselves downstairs, I'll just grab something from my room and meet you by the gate." Hatori offered. Kagome nodded in relief, shooting off towards the door after saying goodbye to mama and grandpa. Nodding at the elders, Hatori walked out of the kitchen as well.

*

"Souta? What's wrong?" Kagome crouched down beside her brother curiously, wondering why he was staring into the well house. Her younger brother looked up at her with a frown.

"I think I saw Buyo go into the well house… I thought I could get him out before we left, it isn't safe for him to play in there…" he mumbled, staring down into the dark enclosure. Eying it herself, the newly fifteen year old sighed.

"Tell you what, why don't you get going? I'll stay back and search for Buyo before leaving myself. If aniki catches the two of us staring in here, he's liable to make us wait so that he can check it out himself. If he asks, you can say that I caught sight of my friends and started out along with them. How does that sound?"

Souta looked up at her with a worried expression.

"I don't know, nee-chan. I don't think it's a good idea…"

Kagome rolled her eyes and pushed him along. "Get going, already. There's nothing in a little well house to hurt me."

"But, it's scary! And those creepy bones…"

"Huh. No way can those things be bones. They're just mounds of dirt that _look_ like bones."

The disbelieving expression that her younger brother gave did nothing to boost her self-confidence. She rolled her eyes and waved him on, ignoring his protests, and waited until he was out of sight before turning her attention to the well. Honestly, why in the world had Souta been so uncomfortable about leaving her alone? She could take care of herse-

The soft scratching sound made her stop short. For a moment, she actually hoped she'd been hearing things, but… There is was again!

She shivered slightly, before steeling herself and inching down the stairs. May be this hadn't been such a great idea…

That thought was only amplified when the covering over the well exploded and a number of strange, pale _arms_ burst out, reaching for her blindly. She was so shocked that she couldn't even scream.

*

"Souta? Where's your nee-chan?"

Souta stiffened, and turned to face his elder brother apprehensively. The green eyed 17 year old had a black bag slung over a shoulder, and was dressed head to toe in black as well. He cut quite the impressive figure, but that only served to make Souta more uneasy around him. Especially when he was going to be telling a lie.

"Oh, she's already left."

Hatori frowned down at the boy, a feeling of disquiet stirring within him.

"Are you sure, Souta? She's not at the shrine, is she?"

Souta rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting his eyes.

"Um… nee-chan said she would be going to school along with those weird friends of hers…"

Hatori eyed the younger boy for a few seconds, before sighing inwardly.

"Fine, Souta. I'll drop you off at school and come to pick you up later, is that ok?"

Finally looking up, the eight year old rolled his eyes.

"Ha'ri-ani. I'm old enough to come home by myself. I'll be fine, just drop me off so that _you'll_ be more comfortable."

Hatori snorted, ruffling Souta's hair in amusement. Cheeky brat.

"Fine, let's get going, then. I'm getting late for my meeting."

"Oh, you're going for a meeting? What kind?" Souta was ever-curious, as always. Hatori pasted a smile on his face, carefully weaving his way around the questions he was being bombarded with. As they made their way down the street, he couldn't help but think about his missing sister. Chancing a quick look over his shoulder to the top of the stairs, he grumbled mutely.

'Lying or not… even if he _is_ telling an untruth, I'm sure he has a good reason for it… It's Kagome and her penchant for getting into trouble that I'm worried about…'

*

"W-where the hell _am_ I?!" The aforementioned brown eyed girl with a penchant for trouble could only stare about herself in shock as she collapsed beside the well in horror. Greenery. The sweet scent of a land that was still unpolluted by civilization, so much sweeter than the countryside that she had been to along with her family on a vacation that seemed so long ago. But, that was impossible!

Thinking back on how she had landed herself in this position in the first place, she groaned aloud. Forget a supposedly teleporting well within the shrine grounds, if being pulled into said well by a half naked centipede woman wasn't impossible, she didn't know what was. Catching sight of a familiar looking treetop relatively nearby, she quickly pushed herself back to her feet.

"If that's not the Goshinboku, then I'm not Kago- actually, let's get a raincheck on that…" she mumbled, figuring that nothing could be taken for granted in a place where girls could fall down wells and turn up somewhere else. Dusting herself off, she made her way towards the tree.

'I just hope Souta's holding up his side of the deal… if aniki finds out that I'm missing… No, wait. I hope Souta told on me, at least someone would know I'm missing and search for me, then!'

*

After dropping Souta off at his school gate, Hatori quickly made his way through a multitude of streets and alleyways before he reached the brokendown tofu shop that served as the entry to his section of the Japanese Ministry. He still couldn't understand why they used a _tofu shop_ of all places to hide an entrance to the ministry, let alone the entrance to the special forces division. Grabbing an old soy milk carton that was lying on the ground, he tapped certain places on it until it glowed pink. The back wall of the shop gave an odd keening noise and a small entryway was suddenly visible. Chucking the carton at an overturned waste bin, he made his way to the wall.

"Oi, oi. Cutting it a bit late aren't we, Higurashi-kun?"

Hatori shoved the smirking pink haired man away, rolling his eyes when the man's hair shifted to a less blinding shade of greyish-white.

"_Morning, Chase. I assume it was your brilliant idea to make the passkey glow pink?"_

The man sniggered, his hair and eyes flashing a lurid shade of red before going back to grey.

"Maybe. _What's wrong, little jap? Thought you _liked_ speaking in jap."_

"_Racist. I don't know why you work for this division when you keep insulting everyone."_

"_Maybe it's cause I get to bug little pseudo japs like you._"

"Fuck. You." Hatori hissed out, shoving the still sniggering man out of his way as he strode towards the lockers to drop his bag. He wished he wasn't always accosted by idiots whenever he came here. Was it too much to ask that he be greeted with a smile, or at least by a person he could get along with?

"Irritations and pleasantry aside, kid. Get your ass till the Manager's room, the old man's pretty pissed with you."

"A lie. The Manager never gets 'pissed'. And my, how well you speak a language that you claim to look down upon."

Chase rolled his eyes, ignoring the thinly veiled insult with years of practice. To be honest, the green eyed prodigy of the ministry was the most interesting of the bunch, except for that blonde vixen whose personal goal in life was to make everyone's life a living hell. He actually grudgingly admired the brat. It wasn't easy to immerse yourself so fully in a culture without losing some part of yourself and your past, but the brat had managed it with aplomb. Not that he would ever admit it. The compliment might very well get to the brat's head.

"Flattery will get you nowhere brat. But, more seriously, I was waiting on you for a good reason. We'll be working together on the next assignment."

Hatori ignored the man, searching through his bag to pull out a slim pair of spectacles and a small notebook which had a black silken cover. Sliding on the spectacles, he spun around to make his way towards the manager's office.

The people in the hallways that called out to him with either a smile or strode past him with a glare were testament to the number of years that he had spent as a pawn to the ministry. Not that he truly disliked it, no. It had given him an easy access to money and training, both of which he desperately needed if he wanted to stay afloat and ahead of the English ministry that was still, no doubt, searching for him. The people he had met and the connections he had made were a welcome addition to the deal he had with the Manager.

And, Kurosawa was already standing beside the doorway to the office, the bored expression on her face melting away when she spotted him. He sighed, and allowed himself to be pulled into her bone crushing embrace.

"_Harry! So good to see you here again!"_

"_Kurosawa, how many times do I have to tell you to call me either Hatori or Higurashi?" _The woman had the nerve to smile innocently at him, making him groan.

"_You, dear lady, are utterly _insufferable_."_ He ground out. She burst out laughing, while Chase snorted in amusement. Hearing the sound of another person, Kurosawa was quick to settle down.

"_Ah, Chase. I can only assume that your last mission was a success?"_

"Yep, definitely a success. The kids were already returned to their parents."

Hatori couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Kids? Returned? Catching sight of his expression, Chase smiled.

"Pair of twins from a kitsune family were kidnapped by some yakuza group that were planning on selling the girls into prostitution. I had to show them the, ah… 'error of their ways'."

Hatori could only stare. Youkai kids, and all the yakuza group could think of was _prostitution_?!!

"Didn't know the kits were youkai, brat." interjected Kurosawa. Ah. That explained it. Most of the groups he had dealt with tried to sell the kids into experimentation instead, since that brought in more money than plain old prostitution. On the other hand, if they didn't know that the kids were youkai…

"At any rate, come along. The Manager is waiting for the two of you; your mission has a slim deadline this time. You'll need to finish it in a couple of hours."

Hatori snorted mirthlessly, wordlessly following her. Chase couldn't help but agree with his sentiment. A slim deadline? Didn't _all_ the cases given in the special forces have a slim deadline?

The moment they entered the room, it was as though their surroundings had been put on 'mute'. The air was almost unnaturally still, and all they could hear was the soft flow of water in a fountain placed in a corner of the Manager's office. The Manager himself was silently sitting at his table, fingers steepled below his chin. His amber eyes were locked on the three of them as they made their way inside. He waved a hand at the chairs set out before the table, but both Hatori and Chase were quick to decline.

The Manager gave a calm smile, almost amused. Kurosawa quietly took her place by his side, standing a bit behind him.

"Higurashi-kun. Chase-kun. It's wonderful that you finally decided to drop in."

Hatori flinched imperceptibly, while Chase's right eye twitched.

"This job shouldn't be too trying for individuals of your calibre. Higurashi-kun, I expect you to take care of the magical aspect of the case while Chase-kun will look into the more… physical aspect."

Both man and teenager nodded silently.

"A family managed to get their hands on a possessed book, no doubt due to the carelessness of the youngest son who is still struggling with his powers. The book has possessed the youngest daughter of the household, and has caused her to attempt to murder her sister, before attempting to commit suicide. The son was quick to request help, hoping that our division would be able to look into the matter."

Hatori blinked in surprise.

"Will we be sent to destroy the book, sir?"

The Manager tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips pulling up in a small smirk.

"Not at all, child. The two of you will be bringing the girl in for some tests. The book will be sealed and brought in for similar tests. The science department has been searching for this book for a very long time; we are honestly in luck that it happened to surface suddenly like this. We were expecting the family to create some… trouble, shall we say. That is the main reason you are being sent together."

Hatori twitched, but didn't question the order. He gave a polite bow, while Chase nodded seriously.

"I expect the girl back as soon as possible, men. No dawdling."

"Sure, sir. The brat's brother and sister need to be picked up from their school, I'm certain he'll make sure to finish the job before that." Chase drawled out, making Hatori stiffen in shock. He felt a twinge of anger circulate through his mind before he relentlessly forced it down. Anger would get him nowhere, especially not the kind that would make him rant and rave.

The Manager's eyebrows rose, definite amusement in his eyes this time.

"Oh? Good for our cause, then. Be on your way."

Both immediately spun round and walked out the door without looking back. It was only once the door had swung shut that Harry let any of his outrage show on his face.

"Did you _have_ to take that dig against my family in front of him, Chase-san?" he asked coolly, though his eyes were narrowed in anger.

The man shot him a supremely amused look, hair switching between the unobtrusive grey and a more eye-catching shade of sunny blond.

"We've got a job to do, kid. The faster we finish it, the less time we spend together and the more time you have to spend with that cute little family of yours."

Hatori twitched, before a cold look slid over him features.

"True. Let's be on our way, then. The family of the kid's going to be a pain to deal with."

"And that's where _I_ come into the picture," the older man murmured, hair shifting to an agonising shade of red even as his lips parted in a bloodthirsty grin.

*

The screams emanating from the rest of the village were deafening, but Kagome couldn't really pay much attention to anything except the damned half naked creature that had dragged her into this mess. At least the screams from some of the other villagers had enlightened her as to the thing's identity, if it could even be _called_ that.

_Mononoke._

'You have _got_ to be _kidding_ me! Stuff like this only happens in stories! Very _weird_ stories! Normal fifteen year old girls don't get pulled down wells, and they _definitely_ don't end up in places where things like boys with dog ears are attached to trees or weird naked mononokes can exist! I'm either dreaming, or the world's gone crazy!' she thought hysterically. Hearing the thing hiss about the thrice-be-damned sacred jewel again, she groaned aloud. The old miko who had fed her, Kaede-sama, gasped.

"The _shikon no tama?!! _You have it, child?" the older woman asked incredulously. Paying no attention to the woman's words, Kagome scowled up at the demon, trying her best not to faint or collapse.

"Like _hell no_, you dumb bitch! You dragged me into this place; do you really think I'll politely give you something you ask for?!! Especially if I don't even _have_ what you want in the first place?!!" she yelled out, doing her level best to not agree with the little Hatori-like voice that had suddenly sprung to life in her head.

'_Kago-chan, how many times do I have to tell you not to anger evil demon that can eat you alive?'_

'May be a couple more times, aniki, hopefully when you're actually around to help me out!' she thought faintly, flinching when the mononoke screeched in an odd mixture of rage and avarice.

"**I…will…have…it!"**

"Neither spears nor arrows are working!"

"We have to drive it back to the dry old well!"

Hearing that last comment from Kaede-sama, Kagome quickly turned to stare at her.

"Dry well?" she repeated, thinking quickly. Maybe… the well she had come out of?

Kaede-sama turned to look at her, still looking as though she didn't know whether to be suspicious, angry, overjoyed or worried. Remembering what the old woman had said about her looking like that Kikyo-onee-sama person, Kagome really couldn't find it in herself to be surprised. It wasn't everyday that old women met girls who looked like their long deceased older sisters.

"It is in Inuyasha's forest. To the east." She said finally.

Kagome nodded, trying to ignore the screams that were coming from the village folk who were trying their best to keep the demon away from the home of the old woman.

Looking to the east and seeing a strange, bright light, Kagome frowned before nodding again.

"Where that light's coming from, got it." Not bothering to say anymore, Kagome bolted, knowing without looking that the demon was following her. Oh God. She really should have thought through the whole 'let's lead the evil demon away' thing.

'_I'm so proud. My little Kago-chan's all grown up, saving villagers by running into dark forests at night. Honestly, imouto-chan. Try and think before running into forests while being chased by centipede monsters!'_

'Not. Helping. Aniki!' Kagome groaned mentally, almost wishing that she couldn't hear that voice. She _really_ didn't want to hear her sarcastic brother's caustic remarks about the situation.

Then again, maybe hearing his voice was a good thing. If she ended up dying because of this dumb mess, at least she would have heard Ha'ri-ani's voice one last time, right? Hopefully the voice wouldn't be commenting about how he was going to bring her back to life and kill her again when he found her…

Hearing the demon shriek in anger, Kagome forced her legs to move faster.

'I'm going to be saved somehow, right? I mean, I'm not going to die, right?' she thought desperately, forgoing all previous thoughts of dying with her elder brother's voice in her head.

'_Of course, Kago-chan. Just get yourself till the Goshinboku, may be that dog eared boy can help you.'_

She blinked at that comment, wondering for a moment if she was going crazy. The boy was _asleep_. How in the world did the mental version of her brother expect him to _help_?!!

Just about managing to slide out of the grasp of the mononoke, she gave a choked gasp.

'What the hell, it's not like aniki's been wrong before… Dog boy, you'd better be able to help somehow!'

*

Even before he reached the school, Hatori got the feeling that something was _not right_. Actually, he'd been having that feeling ever since morning, when he had dropped Souta off, and the boy had mumbled a soft 'sorry' before shooting away. He'd been half inclined to follow his younger brother before he'd noticed that he was late.

Seeing as his sister wasn't at the school gates as she usually was, he made his way into the school, deftly making his way through the crowd and hoping to see one of the three girls that Kagome usually hung out with. Catching sight of a familiar yellow headband, he sighed in relief.

"Eri-san! _Eri-san_!" he called out loudly, pushing his way through the throng of students. When he finally reached the girls, his heart sank. Kagome wasn't with them. Ayumi, though, looked relieved.

"Higurashi-san! Thank God, we were wondering if we should drop by the shrine today."

He blinked in surprise, and tried to rein in his worry.

"Whatever for? That isn't to say that you're not welcome, of course," he added quickly with a charming smile, making the three girls blush. Eri cleared her throat.

"Oh, it's just that we were a bit worried. I mean, it's Kagome-chan's birthday today and she didn't even turn up, especially after she was so excited yesterday… we were beginning to think that something had happened to her…"

Hatori swallowed, trying not to let his anger and worry get the better of him. God, he should have ignored what his younger brother had said in the morning and should have tried to pry more information out of him! Forcing back his revolting emotions, he looked at the girls carefully.

"Kagome didn't come to school today?"

Eri and Yuka were quick to shake their heads, while Ayumi's eyes widened.

"She left for school today morning?" she asked, looking about as worried as Hatori felt. No, that couldn't be right… He was more worried than her. _Much_ more worried.

"Thank you, girls. I really need to get going. I'll get back to you as soon as I find her; hopefully she's just at home playing a prank on all of us…"

The girls giggled a bit, though Ayumi still looked uneasy. Hatori gave a polite nod before he turned around to make his way back towards the gate. The anger and turmoil filling his core was enough to create a close to corporeal manifestation of his magic, causing the students around him to unconsciously back away. He paid them no attention, mind fixated on both his younger siblings.

'Just you wait, Higurashi Souta… _Just you wait_… And, Kagome, when I get my hands on you…' he growled mentally, his magic abruptly lashing out and causing a few girls to squeak as the temperature plummeted. Or may be because the magic stung them? No matter. He quickly reined his temper in, waiting until he was out of sight of the school before twisting his magic to teleport back to the shrine.

*

Higurashi Souta sat silently at the porch, shaking slightly. His sister wasn't home. And, he somehow _knew_ that she hadn't gone to school either. It was what Ha'ri-ani called the 'sixth sense'. He could sense his family members sometimes, or people who were important to him. And, he couldn't sense his nee-chan. Not at all. He just _knew_ that something was wrong. He hadn't said anything to mama and grandpa, not wanting to worry them. He prayed that Ha'ri-ani would be back home soon.

Despite the fact that his elder brother would no doubt be furious with Kagome and himself. He shivered.

'Where _are_ you, nee-chan? You said that you'd be all right!' the small boy thought painfully, curling in on himself. He just wished he could turn back time to the morning and tell his brother that Kagome had been searching for Buyo in the well house. Then, may be she'd still be here…

*

Kagome screamed as she was flung into the base of the tree. She put out her hands, ignoring the harsh scrapes that were accumulating thanks to her little jaunt in the dark through the forest. Managing to get a hold of one of the strange vines that had grown over the white haired boy, she unsteadily pulled herself up, staring at the mononoke that was slowly making its way forward. That was when she heard a derisive laugh from behind her. She stiffened, before slowly turning her head to look over her shoulder. She almost fell over when she caught sight of the inhuman gold eyes eying her with disgust.

"Wasting time on that dumb centipede opponent of yours, aren't you?"

She choked, almost wanting to back away from that cold gaze, before deciding that an evil that looked good could _definitely_ be chosen over the evil that was ugly, half naked and had many arms. Against her better judgement, she shuffled backwards, trying to create more distance between herself and the centipede demon. The creature had a look of unholy glee on its feminine face. Her hands couldn't stop shaking, trying to ignore the harsh comments coming from the dog eared boy behind her.

Who the bloody _hell_ was this Kikyo person, who managed to get connected to people who had such differing opinions of her?!! And, why the hell did they have to look so much alike that old women and sleeping dog boys could actually get them confused?!!

Feeling her hair slide down to her shoulders, she looked down to see her new ribbon float to the ground, already looking as though someone had sent it through the shredder. Obviously silken ribbons had no place in mad chases through a forest at night. She whimpered, slowly kneeling to pull the ribbon into her fingers. Grandpa. Mama. Souta. Aniki.

Knowing without looking that the mononoke was flying towards her, she closed her eyes tightly. God.

She just wanted to go home.

* * *

First things first, I am truly sorry about taking so long on this one. There are lots of reasons for the delay, the least of which was a minor writer's block. As in, I knew what I wanted to write, I was just having trouble actually _writing_ it. The creative juices started flowing today morning and then suddenly, voila! Instant monster chapter, which has now been presented to you. Eheh… Also, **thank you so much for your kind reviews!** You guys rock my world, honestly!!! XD

In other news, my next and last exam is only on the 1st of May, so that means that I actually have time to think over my plotline! I really need to figure out where this story is going…

You now have a peek at Hatori and Kagome when they're 'all grown up'. I hope to hear from everyone who reads this; I really want to know what you think of my rendition of them! You'll now begin to see other characters from the actual Inuyasha plotline. If anyone catches any discrepancies in the Inuyasha plotline, be it characters, names or timelines; please don't hesitate in pointing it out. It's been a long time since I actually watched or read Inuyasha, so I may make some mistakes.

Ending this long author's rant, please, _please_, _**please**_ **review** the chapter. I live off the reviews you send, they get the creative juices flowing! Also, be sure to mention whether you find the length of the chapter weird. I don't know where the hell this size came from… 0.o


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer – I most definitely don't own either Harry Potter, or Inuyasha. Both are amazing series in their own right, and belong to the people who thought them up. I'm just… messing around with the characters for my own amusement.

Warnings – AU. Very starkly AU for very obvious reasons, mainly in the HP plotline. Can possibly contain slash in future, but it won't be explicit. Will also contain het relationships. Possibly **very** OOC Harry. Spoilers for the whole HP plotline, and most of the Inuyasha plotline.

Timeline – Harry is 17 years old. Kagome is 15. Souta is eight.

Italics indicate English, and flashbacks. Normal speech indicates Japanese. Bold can possibly indicate angry demons. Single quotation marks denote thoughts.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Staring down at the little girl who looked as though she would burst into tears at any moment, Inuyasha found that for once in his life, he was caught between two differing emotions. Well, may be the second. He'd had differing emotions the first time he'd seen Kikyo, too…

'Not thinking about that.'

Hearing a frightened scream, his attention was immediately drawn back to the scene in front of him. He watched silently, a little disgusted, as the centipede got dragged off the girl. Who then fell back at his feet.

"Keh. I'm disappointed _Kikyo_." He sneered. Though there was something very wrong with this situation. The girl didn't look much like Kikyo. The similarities were there, the same brown eyes, the same gorgeous black hair… He forced himself away from that thought, stilling the confusion within him. She had to be Kikyo. She _had_ to be. There was no other way he could have woken up. Not after being fucking _sealed to the tree_…

"I'm not Kikyo!" he blinked, and found that the girl had pushed herself up, right in his face. He nearly went cross-eyed, before glaring heatedly.

"Like hell you aren't. No one else smells even half as disgusting_," amazing _"as her!"

"Well, then you should bloody well smell a little more carefully, asshole!" she snapped back, her chocolate brown eyes darkening in irritation.

He blinked once. Twice. Then, his eyes went wide.

'Um… Forget scent. Kikyo would never swear like that.' He thought, unnerved. Wondering if he was insane for doing so, he focused on the scent that was still lingering on her skin, particularly easy to smell since she was so damned close. And found, to his disbelief, that it wasn't the same. At all.

'Jasmine. And the… sea? The hell? People don't smell like that! What the fuck is she?!!'

"You're… not her…" he managed, confused. If she wasn't, then how the hell was he awake?

"Yeah, yeah. Give the guy a hand, folks, he _finally gets it._" She shot back. He continued to stare, bemused. Hand? What?

Seeing the look on his face, she finally calmed down, sighing tiredly.

"Sorry, look… I'm really irritable; this has _not_ been a good day… Anyway, my name's Kagome." She offered, smiling slightly. He scowled.

"Of course you are. Can't be Kikyo. She looked more intelligent. And beautiful."

The smile was gone in a flash.

"For God's sake, what is you bloody _prob-" _her indignant voice broke away into a scream as the centipede latched onto her from behind. She desperately lashed out, somehow managing to get a grip on the front of his haori. For a second, Inuyasha was hit with a flash of irrational fear, worried that his mother's last present would rip, and he had to hide his relief when the fur of the fire rat held as strongly as it ever had. His attention was diverted yet again by the all too familiar scent of burnt flesh. To be precise, the scent of freshly purified youkai flesh. He scrunched up his nose, for once wishing that his sense of smell wasn't so strong, before realising what the scent signified. His eyes widened in shock.

The girl came crashing down, heaving as she scrambled backwards until her back hit the tree. He could smell the terror on her as clear as the scent of jasmine he had smelt earlier. His ears twitched, catching what the centipede was screaming as she came in for the next attack. The Shikon no Tama? With this _girl?_

Watching as she was carried away for the second time from in front of him, the horrified, vulnerable expression on her face actually made something inside his chest twinge for a second, before he willed it away. If there was any chance that he could get the Shikon no Tama from the wench, then he would have to ignore any other emotions he might feel in connection to her. Though the sight of her stomach being ripped open by the jaws of the mononoke made him question his decision for a moment. Just a moment, mind you.

Before he saw _it._

The sight of that painfully familiar pink orb landing in front of her unmoving form was enough to make him forget anything else. His heart clenched.

"THAT'S MINE! HAND IT OVER NOW, WENCH!" he roared, straining against the vines binding him to the tree. Though the vines weren't the problem. He shot a disgusted glance at the arrow still pinning him to the tree. Fate had an interesting way of playing out. The first time around, he was put to sleep with the jewel right in front of him. This time, he was awake, the damned thing was within grasping distance, but he just. Couldn't. Fucking. _Move!_

"Don't tell me you want the blasted thing too!" she yelled back, as the mononoke's winding rings pulled her up close against him, closeting them both against the tree trunk. Her hands reflexively wound into the folds of his haori, though her eyes hadn't left the form of the smug centipede as she bent forward to stare at both of them.

"**I have heard tell of some hanyou brat named Inuyasha that was after the Shikon no Tama. Is that you?"** the mononoke purred, mockingly coy. He sneered back, ignoring the deep brown eyes that were staring up at him in surprise.

"Don't underestimate me, Mistress Centipede. If I was serious, a bitch like you is just small fry to me."

"**Not that it would make a difference, brat, since you can't move. You're sealed there, aren't you." **She sneered back. The girl pressed up against him made a small, confused sound. That he didn't really notice, since the centipede had just swallowed the thrice damned jewel. He gritted his teeth, futilely straining against the vines and arrow holding him in place and being forced to watch as the mononoke went through the evolution that was supposed to be promised to _him._

Then again, he might just have his ticket to freedom tucked away in front of him. The girl _did_ seem to be similar enough to Kikyo…

"Oi, wench. Can you get this arrow out for me?" he growled lowly. The girl started, staring up at him suspiciously, before sighing.

"Can you rip that bitch to shreds?" she countered. He snorted, not bothering to hide his smirk. If he didn't need to fight the wench later for possession of the jewel, he might have actually gotten along with her.

"Who the fuck do you think I am?" he asked arrogantly. She rolled her eyes up at him.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Anyway, with the way those villagers are screaming, I don't know if I should. I'm not taking out this damn arrow unless I'm certain you won't turn on us. Before getting rid of the mononoke, I mean. After that, well, I can't exactly force you _not_ to turn on us…" the last line was muttered, obviously not meant for his ears. He tried not to act amused. Clever girl.

"I'll definitely get rid of the centipede. After that, it's on your head," he said coolly. She scowled, but the choice was abruptly taken away from her when the centipede all but crushed the coils of her body around them. The girl choked, face muffled in his haori, while he continued to scowl up at the red underbelly of the youkai binding them. Then, he jerked, feeling something _pull_ against him. Inside him. Stiffening, his eyes shot to the slim hand that had blindly latched onto the arrow.

He felt more than heard the words the girl said next.

"Better keep up your word, dogboy."

And the world exploded in light.

*

By the time Hatori managed to stumble all the way up the staircase leading to the shrine, his anger and worry had cooled down to a manageable extent. Which is why, when he caught sight of his younger brother sitting on the front porch, he was able to have a more controlled reaction.

"Souta!" he called out, jogging forward. The small, dark haired boy looked up immediately, and even from the short distance separating them, Hatori could see the tear tracks tracing down his face. Lips tightening in concern, he moved faster, jog shifting to a run until he finally slowed down in front of the Souta's seated form. The boy hadn't budged an inch since he had first looked up. And, now that he was closer, Hatori could see that his brother was trembling slightly, arms locked around himself in a protective embrace. He sighed, and crouched down in front of the obviously fearful boy, carefully folding his arms around him. Souta stayed rigid until Hatori pulled him close, murmuring soft words of comfort into his hair. They were enough to make the boy burst into tears, choking and trying to silence himself. Hatori continued to hold him, berating himself for not making it home sooner.

"It's ok, keep crying until you get it all out." He said quietly. Though his eyes told a different story. Thankfully, Souta's face was still buried in his soft, cotton pullover, so he didn't see the impatience warring with brotherly concern on his face. Once Souta's tears had finally slowed down, the younger boy pulled away automatically on his own. He was still sniffling every few minutes.

"Ha'ri-ani, I-I'm sorry…" he whispered, his eyes not leaving the ground. Hatori frowned.

"I can't exactly forgive you unless I know _why_ you're asking for forgiveness, otouto." He said pointedly. Souta flinched.

"I-I l-l-lied… To-today mo-mo-morning… Ab-ab-about Ka-Kagome-nee-chan…" he stuttered, eyes going blurry with tears again. Hatori rolled his eyes, and reached out to wipe the tears away before they could slip down his face.

"You already apologised to me about that. In the morning," he added, when he caught sight of the disbelieving look on his brother's face. He was rewarded with the boy flushing brightly. Smirking, he continued.

"Now, since _that's_ out in the open, mind telling me the truth? And, no stuttering this time, Souta. You're old enough to take the brunt of your own decisions." he said seriously. Souta flinched and looked down.

"I thought I saw Buyo run into the old well house today morning. I had been going in after him when nee-chan told me to go ahead. The last I saw her was when she went into the well house." He said softly, somehow holding back his stutters. He forced himself not to look up, especially when he noticed how still his older brother had become.

There was actually a good reason for which both he and Kagome avoided the old well house like the plague. Back when they had been younger, or at least, when Kagome had been eleven and he had been four, the two of them had gone on a private exploratory expedition in the well house. They had some scratching sounds back then as well, and it had been more than a little creepy, but none of that could have topped off Ha'ri-ani's reaction when he had opened the well house door and found them skulking around inside. He had dragged them both out and given them a tongue lashing that had frightened them enough that neither had gone anywhere near the well house again if they could help it. He couldn't even remember _why_ Ha'ri-ani hadn't wanted them to go near it, only that they _shouldn't._ Something Kagome had known as well. Which is why she had sent him ahead in the morning.

And now Ha'ri-ani was going to get angry all over again.

"…I seem to remember telling you two to stay away from that place." His tone was carefully measured. Souta took a deep breath.

"I know. But, we didn't want Buyo to get hurt." He said softly. He kept his eyes down, catching sight of his brother's fists clenching in front of him.

"_You_ could have gotten hurt." The words were sharper this time. Souta was beginning to get the feeling that he would be in deep trouble if he didn't have sufficient reasoning to support his decision.

"Nee-chan was there too!" he said suddenly. Petulantly. From the silence that answered his statement, he figured that _that_ hadn't been the right thing to say.

"And we can see just where _that_ has left us." He returned blandly. Souta's hands clenched, his eyes going blurry with tears that were _just. Not. Stopping._ His lower lip trembled, and his chest ached with the effort of holding back a sob. Because he was too old to cry like this.

And then, his brother's arms were wrapping around him, pulling him close. And the tears fell. Even when he didn't want them to.

Hatori sighed lowly, and rubbed the younger boy's back tiredly. He looked over his shoulder towards the old well house, wondering if there was someone up there that had it in for him. It just figured that the one family he had wanted to become a part of had a dangerous magical object on its grounds. When the Manager had first told him about it, he hadn't wanted to believe that there was an object capable of teleportation lying dormant on the shrine grounds, but he had readily agreed to keep the children away from it. That had been something the Manager had insisted upon – that the well was more partial to children, and that they could get hurt. Why the hell were these crazy things always happening to him? Or to those around him?

But, if it was true that Kagome had been taken away by the well, then he honestly didn't know what to do to get her back. No one at the ministry had any idea of _where_ the well teleported people. Even the Research wing kept hitting roadblocks with regard to the well. If they knew where, exactly, the well teleported people, and how it did so, then he were certain they could devise a way to make use of it. And allow people to travel through it freely. But until he knew what the other end opened into, he was stuck.

And Kagome was still unreachable.

*

Kagome could only stare in disbelief from her position at the base of the tree, as the silver-white haired dog boy with an attitude problem managed to rip through the mononoke that had been chasing her in one fell swoop. While the blood, guts and chunks of flesh that rained down were disgusting, she could help or deny the thread of vindictive pleasure that wound through her.

'Take that, bitch!' she thought gleefully, her fingers still clutching at the remains of her brother's present. Served the centipede-woman right, for chasing after her!

Pushing herself off the ground and moving forward once the guy, Inuyasha, had finally landed, she suddenly gave a rather unflattering squeak, staring at the chunks of flesh. Which were still quivering.

"I-Inuyasha, I thought you got rid of her!" she yelped, drawing closer to him. Staying close to the one guy that could actually _fight_ the mononoke seemed to be better for her health. The dog boy, hanyou, _whatever_ scowled and cracked the knuckles of one hand with obvious intent as he eyed the remains of the centipede himself.

"I'm ready to do it again," he said easily, shifting himself into a more battle-ready position when they were interrupted by the old miko.

"Kagome, search for the Shikon no Tama! If we don't remove it, the mononoke will revive over and over!" she called out quickly, her experienced eyes already roving over what was left of the centipede-woman. Kagome blinked in confusion, looking about herself and wondering what she should look out for. When she caught sight of one chunk that was glowing rather obviously.

"There, that one! It's glowing!" she called back, rushing forward herself. Though she could sense Inuyasha's eyes locked on her form. She shivered uneasily, remembering the fact that the hanyou had helped them with the mononoke earlier only because it would release him from the tree. And because it would bring him closer to the jewel.

Kaede-sama was already crouched in front of the glowing chunk of flesh, and shoved her hand into the still oozing remains without hesitation. Kagome was caught between awe and revulsion. When the older woman pulled out her hand, it was still covered in blood and gunk, both of which burnt away to nothing once the jewel itself had been removed.

Not waiting for anything else, she dived forward, her fingers darting for the pink ball. Kaede made a sound of alarm, almost pulling away, but the determined expression on Kagome's face made her stop short.

"Kagome, what in the world-?" she began, but the snort of laughter from Inuyasha made her eyes widen in horror, finally realising how delicate their situation was.

"Any chance of you giving me a head start?" Kagome asked hopefully, grasping the jewel close to her chest, quickly backing away from the horrified looking villagers and the miko that was still caught in disbelief over trading one opponent for another that was far more dangerous. The silver haired hanyou was smirking, comfortably cracking the knuckles of both hands.

"In your dreams, wench." He sneered. Kagome winced, and took off like an arrow loosed from a bow. If only her speed was closer to a bullet than an arrow, though!

The screams and yells from the men behind her, not to mention the soft whumf of air told her to duck desperately, and almost crashed down when she felt the pressure of his attack wash over her head. She held back her instinctive reaction to scream, and forced herself to run faster. She'd brought this upon herself when she had released him before, after all. He had saved them all, and would likely ignore them as well. As long as she agreed to give him the jewel. Not that she could.

She still remembered the crazy old stories her grandpa used to tell all the time back home. Not to mention the stories that her aniki used to tell her and Souta in secret later, when no one else was around to hear them. Those stories were the only reason she ever bothered listening when grandpa went off on one of his tirades. Something about the way her older brother added to the tales made her think that maybe, just maybe there was more to the stories than just tradition and superstition. While the warnings about youkai and magic seemed dumb back home, it seemed all too real here, in some strange alternate world that was filled with the all the things that she and Souta used to scoff at when they were younger. And one thing that had been the most prevalent in all those stories was the tale of the shikon no tama. While grandpa tended to dramatise the importance of the jewel, and turned it into a gimmick to draw in the people who came to the shrine, Hatori had actually told them a darker side to the tale. That the jewel hadn't been nearly as benign as most tales painted it. That it was unholy, however spiritually inclined its origins were.

That it served as a boost to a youkai's power. Not that she could understand _why_ someone as powerful as Inuyasha would want to _boost_ his power, but she had no reason to understand his motivations. Especially not when she was being chased by him through a forest at night, one hand fisted over a pink orb and the other clutching at the remains of her older brother's birthday present. Was it really only today morning that she had been back home, thinking about school and a birthday party in the evening?

Screaming as she tripped over a root and fell flat on her face, she stayed down when Inuyasha's attack ripped through a tree right in front of her. If she hadn't fallen, those claws would have likely taken her head off.

"Hey, can't you at least _try_ not to kill me?!!" she yelled, pushing herself back to her feet and taking off again. She heard the hanyou groan in exasperation, and caught sight of him leaping into the trees above from the corner of her eye. She tried not to get worried. It was hard enough getting away from those attacks when he was on the ground, how the hell was she going to be able to stay ahead of him and avoid his attacks if he was _above_ her?

She suddenly heard him yelp, and stopped short as he crashed down to the ground. She stared, distractedly listening as the villagers and Kaede finally caught up to them.

"Kagome, speak the subduing word!" the old woman yelled. Kagome blinked, and gave a yelp of her own when Inuyasha got up and threw another one of those crazy claw attacks of his at her immediately. She dived out of the way, and gaped as the attack tore through the ground.

'Oh God… How the hell am I going to get out of this?' she whimpered mentally, wondering where her brother's voice had gone. Actually, with how sarcastic it had been before, maybe it was better that the voice wasn't ringing in her head anymore.

"Who the hell do you think is going to get subdued?!!" Inuyasha roared back. Kagome ignored anything except the forest in front of her, crashing through the undergrowth when she finally ran out of a relatively clear path to follow. And found herself flying down over the edge of an outcrop, when the ground gave out below her. She quickly pulled her limbs close to herself, trying to fall in a position that would hurt the least.

When the stinging pain from her fall finally subsided, she looked up to find Inuyasha looming over her, looking mildly amused. The smirk on his face made her want to shriek at him, though. It wasn't like she'd _wanted_ to go flying off an outcrop; she hadn't even known it was there in the first place!

"The word, Kagome!" Kaede yelled again, the old miko having managed to come all the way till the edge of the outcropping, her voice sounding fearful. Which was all well and good, but what in the world was she supposed to –

She gasped, flinching when the hanyou grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her up. Obviously after the jewel, and not any sudden realisation of chivalry. He opened his mouth, and she was certain he was going to demand that she hand over the shikon no tama, when she caught sight of his ears. Hit by a stroke of genius, her lips parted in a toothy grin. The boy blinked.

"What the fuck are you grinning for?" he asked irately. Her grin broadened.

"Osuwari."

**BANG.**

*

Eying the sulking form of the hanyou as he lounged in a corner of Kaede's home, Kagome sighed. In retrospect, maybe it had been wrong of her to be so amused with his predicament. Then again, with the way he had been attacking her before that, she had every right to laugh at his misfortune.

'But… it's almost sad. Those beads nearly seem like a collar of some sort…' she thought guiltily, her eyes pulling back to the hanyou against her will. Kaede cleared her throat, and Kagome quickly looked back at her. The miko's eyebrows were raised, but Kagome simply stared back. It wasn't like she'd been doing anything _wrong_, after all.

"The wound should be fine now, but I advise you not to needlessly strain it. Is that clear, child?" she asked softly. Kagome nodded, wondering how, exactly, she could strain it. It wasn't like Inuyasha could do anything to her anymore, at least, not directly. What with that handy little subjugation charm…

Though she felt ill just thinking about it. God, it was like she was _forcing_ him to bow down to her or something…

"Kagome."

She blinked, and shook her head, trying to focus on whatever the older woman was saying. Kaede looked exasperated, obviously having called out more than once to get her attention. Kagome flushed, and smiled apologetically.

"As I was saying, the very presence of the shikon no tama in these times has become something of a problem. Not only youkai, but humans bent on evil will journey forward, focused on turning the jewel to their whim. Its spiritual power will be able to grant all their wicked desires, and make them more powerful."

Kagome pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"That _does_ make sense… If the way that centipede-woman was acting earlier is any indication how most youkai act about the jewel, then its caretaker is going to have a lot of- Whoa, wait! Surely you're not-" she stammered, eyes widening at the pointed look the miko was giving her. Kaede gave her a serene smile that was completely at odds with the crafty look in her eyes.

"But of course, dear child, there isn't anyone else that is capable of-" Kagome cut her off with a nervous laugh, and blabbered the first thing that came to her head.

"Hey, Inuyasha, why do you want the shikon no tama?"

The hanyou's ears twitched, but he didn't bother turning around. Kagome frowned, about to ask again, when Kaede answered instead.

"It is because he is a hanyou." She murmured, though the expression on her face warned Kagome that that wasn't the end of their discussion with regard to the protector of the jewel. The brown-eyed girl almost sobbed in despair, before she steeled herself.

'Not like I actually _have_ to do what she tells me to. All I need to do is find a way back, and I'll be home free.' She thought decisively, when she was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood. She blinked, and stared in shock at Inuyasha, who had all but shoved his fist through the relatively weak flooring.

"You know, you've been going on and _on_ about me since before, just who the hell do you think you are?" he ground out. Kaede's eyebrows rose.

"Ah. I had wondered if you would recognise me, though now it is obvious that you do not. I am Kaede. Kikyo's younger sister." She said agreeably. Inuyasha's eyebrows shot all the way to his hairline, and he dropped back onto his back.

"That brat, huh? Shit, must suck to be human, going old that fast. But if _you_ look that bad, Kikyo must be a real hag by now…" he muttered, an odd expression on his face evident before it was wiped away by a sneer. Kagome stared.

'…Why do I get the feeling that there's more to this than a miko just sealing a random attacker to a tree?' she thought bemusedly.

"You needn't wonder on that. My sister is dead; she never needed to worry about growing old. She died the same day you were sealed to that tree." Kaede said solemnly, staring at him. Inuyasha stiffened, and he turned around to escape her gaze. Kagome's eyes narrowed.

'Definitely more to this. What the hell happened between those two?' she thought suspiciously, before hastily backtracking. 'Not that I need to know. I just need to bloody well get out of here,'

"Well, that's a relief. I don't need to deal with that fucking bitch anymo-" he began loudly, when Kaede cut him off.

"It's too early to look so relieved, Inuyasha." The old miko said, before turning her sharp gaze on Kagome. The young girl swallowed uncomfortably, getting the feeling that she wasn't going to like this.

"Especially since I am certain that young Kagome is the reincarnation of my sister."

'…And why am I not surprised? Why did I bother waking up this morning, again?'

*

"Yes, that's right sir. No, I don't have any more information. Am I required to report immediately?"

When he got a negative reply, Hatori sighed, and ended the call politely. If it had been anyone but the Manager, he would have been tempted to slam the phone down in his haste. Souta was sitting quietly in the kitchen, drinking some hot chocolate that he had made before stepping out to make his call. Leaning back against the wall by the phone, he tried not to groan out loud.

"Ha'ri-ani? Did you find out anything?"

He started, and pulled away from the wall, his eyes immediately locking onto the form of the younger boy. Souta had finally managed to calm down from before, and he had changed out of his school clothes. Dressed in a pair of pyjamas and an oversized long sleeved blue t-shirt, hands trembling around the mug in his hands, he looked a lot smaller and more vulnerable than before. Hatori gave him a small smile.

"Not yet, Souta. Give it time, though. I'll bring her back somehow."

"By the time mama and grandpa come home?" he asked hopefully. His shoulders drooped when Hatori shook his head.

"Don't worry so much. Finish your mug and go up, I'll explain the situation to okaa-san." The older boy offered. Souta frowned, and looked down.

"No. I want to be there too. I should have stopped her, or at least _stayed_ with her. It's my fault." He said guiltily. Hatori sighed, and stepped forward to ruffle his hair.

"Don't think like that. Anyway, she's not going to magically appear in front of us the longer we sit here and brood. Go on up and try to finish your homework if you're up to it. If not, take a nap. It might help you calm down."

The dark haired boy nodded doubtfully, but went up the stairs anyway. Hatori waited till he was out of sight and hearing range before allowing himself to straighten from his relaxed posture.

"You can come out now."

He was unsurprised when the familiar form of Kurosawa materialised from the shadows behind him. The blonde haired woman had a small frown on her face, actually looking worried for once.

"_It wasn't just a rumour, then?__ Kagome fell into the well?"_

The green eyed youth rubbed the back of his neck, and answered in kind.

"_No idea. I didn't even know that the well was involved until I got back home. I'm assuming that the information was already known back at the Ministry?"_

"_Only in the Research wing. So, obviously, everyone in our division has an inkling about what happened. It was a little difficult _not_ to notice, since the guys in the research wing started going crazy today morning. They weren't willing to tell anyone anything concrete, though. I heard the rumour from one of the lower orderlies, but that was long after you and Chase had left."_

Hatori nodded quietly, not saying anything. He turned around and walked into the kitchen, busying himself with making some tea for himself and the woman behind him. He was actually relieved that she wasn't making any of the wisecracks that she was partial to. With how disturbed his state of mind was right now, he couldn't say what his reaction would be. He only hoped that Chase wouldn't turn up to rub more salt on his wounds. The man was good at his job, but he could be utterly _unbearable_ at times.

Staying silent until he was done with the tea, he quickly brought out a pair of mugs, not having the patience to tack down the more appropriate porcelain teacups and saucers. The grey eyed woman accepted the mug without any comments, her thoughts focused inwards. Hatori sat down beside her, sipping at the tea as he wondered what he could tell his mother and grandfather.

Neither of them were in any way magically inclined. Souta at least had the sense, and would listen when he said anything related to something like this. He hadn't even asked or said anything more than mentioning that Kagome had disappeared from the well house. Remembering the frightened, helpless expression on his younger brother's face, Hatori's hands clenched around his mug, his magic unconsciously crackling around him in agitation. How the hell was he supposed to look after his siblings in a situation like this? He had _promised_, God damn it… He had promised Atsuo-san…

"_Harry."_

Hatori blinked, and his eyes refocused on the plain blue mug. The brown liquid within it was actually beginning to boil, and miniscule, hairline cracks had appeared on its surface. He winced, and placed the mug down on the table.

"_I thought I asked you not to call me that." _He muttered, slouching down in his seat. The older woman snorted lowly.

"You weren't listening to me when I said anything else. Don't beat yourself up over this, brat. Stay objective, and you'll actually be able to deal with it in a more rational way. Since you spoke to the boss, he'll be able to make some arrangements for you. I know for a fact that the research wing is already looking into the matter. You'll be able to see her again, sooner than later."

Hatori snorted mirthlessly.

"That isn't why I'm feeling so…" he broke himself off, and looked away. Marie sighed quietly.

"That isn't why you're feeling so what, helpless? Out of sorts?" she asked absently. Hatori stayed silent.

The blonde snorted, and knocked back the last of her tea.

"Don't be a fool, Potter. You're hardly helpless. You just need an opening, and you'll go diving in to save your damsel in distress."

Hatori shot her a dirty look.

"That's hardly an analogy that works in this case." He said irately. The woman simply smirked, twirling a slim, manicured finger through her long hair.

The green eyed teen scowled, before willing the expression away with practised ease. With being in close to continuous contact with the older woman, that particular ability was a cultivated necessity. He muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath, and dropped his head to the table, the oddly cool wood soothing to his overheated skin.

"You going to be ok once I've left?"

He mumbled a weary affirmative, closing his eyes. Kurosawa sighed, and leant back in her chair to stare up at the ceiling, eyes staring aimlessly. They remained in companionable silence, Hatori still wracked with worry. He only moved from his position when he heard the front door swing open. Kurosawa stood up immediately, and went to drop the mug in the sink. With a silent nod towards the boy watching her, she moved back into one of the shadowy corners of the kitchen, her form melting way much like an illusion, just in time as his mother chose that moment to step in.

*

Hearing the sound of pebbles bouncing off the surface off the window, Kagome shivered uncomfortably. It was one thing to know for a fact that youkai would ceaselessly come after the damned jewel, but it was quite another to try and sleep through the night while Inuyasha sat on the roof of Kaede's home and chased away anything that came too close.

Unconsciously, her hand rose to curl around the pink orb that was now dangling from her throat. Fingers tightening around its diminutive form, the dark haired girl bit her lower lip. This entire situation was ridiculous. The whole 'falling down a well and finding yourself in the past' thing was just so, so… _painful_ when you were living through it. Having sat down to actually talk to Kaede, she had finally managed to set the facts straight in her head, and she was strongly beginning to suspect that she had landed in the Sengoku Judai.

Remembering the laughter in her brothers' eyes that morning when both of them had turned up to wish her for her birthday, and the gentle ribbing she had put her older brother through over the ribbon, her heart clenched with a god-awful feeling of homesickness. Kaede was so kind, and the rest of the villagers were… respectful, if nothing else. And Inuyasha was such an _interesting_ blend of anomalies that she couldn't help but feel entertained when she spoke to him. But, none of that could compare to the feeling of sitting down to a simple family meal back home, between her siblings and eating with mama and grandpa.

Forcing herself to let go of the shikon no tama with a heartfelt sigh, she turned over to stare up at the darkened ceiling tiredly. Hearing the soft sounds that Inuyasha made while shifting on the roof, she sighed again. The dog boy was actually sitting up and ensuring that nothing attacked them while they slept. The least she could do in return was to actually _try_ and get some sleep. Shutting her eyes, she silently vowed to go and check out the abandoned well that she had ended up climbing out of earlier as soon as she could. Hopefully early next morning. However nice the people in the village were, she wanted to go back home.

It was where she truly belonged, after all.

* * *

Um… I really have no words this time, since I took far too long for any apology to count. For what it's worth, though, I _do_ apologise. I had my own reasons for taking so long, which I'm sure none you will be very interested in. On the positive side, I have tracked down the Inuyasha manga and anime to brush up on the order of incidents in the canon plot. Hopefully, this will lead to a sounder plotline on my side.

In other news, I suggest that anyone interested in Gundam Wing and tolerant of slash should consider reading '_Freeport_' by _maldoror_. Or anything else by her. I do not shy away from saying that her stories are one of the reasons for me shying away from my own writing. While this is a shameless plug of her work, I have to say that reading her stories has forced me to stop and take a good long look at my own writing, and has made me reconsider many things about my own writing style and capability. ***Cough*** Moving on…

I will try my best to put up the next chapter much sooner than this one. Since I've started working on my other two stories as well, I will likely be shuffling between all three. If there's anyone out there that's actually reading anything else by me, you're welcome to suggest what you would like updated first. Also, if anyone knows Kagome's exact birth date, please tell me what it is.

**Thank you so much for your kind reviews and patience!** I was awed by the fact that I have people looking at this story even after so long. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait.

Please **review**! Reviews make me get back to writing; it's now an officially proven fact…


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer – I most definitely don't own either Harry Potter, or Inuyasha. Both are amazing series in their own right, and belong to the people who thought them up. I'm just… messing around with the characters for my own amusement.

Warnings – AU. Very starkly AU for very obvious reasons, mainly in the HP plotline. Can possibly contain slash in future, but it won't be explicit. Will also contain het relationships. Possibly **very** OOC Harry. Spoilers for the whole HP plotline, and most of the Inuyasha plotline.

Warnings for **this chapter** – OCs, Violence, Lots of colourful swearing courtesy Kagome.

Timeline – Harry is 17 years old. Kagome is 15. Souta is eight.

Italics indicate English, and flashbacks. Normal speech indicates Japanese. Bold can possibly indicate angry demons. Single quotation marks denote thoughts.

* * *

**IMP – **Read the author's note at the end this time!!!

* * *

**Chapter 5  
**

It was close to sundown, and the light coming in through the open doorway wasn't nearly enough to light up anything except for the dust motes floating in the air. Leaning against the doorjamb of the well house and watching the multitude of people inside muttering to each other and waving their various focuses in tight patterns, Hatori sighed tiredly.

Their investigation had been going on for far too long, and he was beginning to loose most of his hard earned patience. Just when he was going to snap, though, one of the younger aides abruptly pulled away and stepped back to fall into place beside him. Neither said a word, and eventually, Hatori relaxed back against the doorjamb. The slim redhead beside him was smiling absently, first at the ground, then at the well and finally at the senior researchers hovering around it. Clearing his throat finally, he tilted his head to the side so that he could stare at the other boy comfortably.

"So. Any information?" he murmured. The redhead shrugged.

"Not very clear, but while the information is interesting, I don't think it'll be what you want to hear." He replied, still smiling. Hatori sighed to himself, making the other boy snort in amusement.

"Get in touch with me as soon as you can, I'll be back home. My mother is likely getting ready to set out and look for me." The boy nodded agreeably, a twinkle appearing in his eyes.

"Having a family seems to be suiting you, Higurashi."

Hatori rolled his eyes, and turned around to walk out, not deigning to dignify that with an answer.

*

It was only when he was back in his room, after dinner, that Hatori let his carefully cultivated façade fall apart, and he dropped back into his bed with a groan. Staring up at a white ceiling, he began to wonder if the investigation was actually going to be getting anywhere anytime soon. The Research Wing was happy with the information that they were collecting, but like Rem had said, that information was unlikely to help him in tracking down Kagome.

He looked up when his door creaked open, and could barely make out the diminutive form of his younger brother standing in the darkness of the hallway. He pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Souta, what the hell are you doing still up? You're supposed to be in bed-"

"I wanted to talk to you…" the younger boy put in quickly. Hatori frowned in response, but nodded anyway.

Souta quietly crept in and silently shut the door behind himself. That done, he moved to drop down beside the bed, staring up at his older brother. Hatori stared back, expression unreadable. Not that Souta was surprised. Ha'ri-ani tended to act a little out of his depth whenever someone turned up to speak to him in his own room. Nee-chan had always said that it was because their older brother had a thing about space. Or, at least, that he had a thing about acting completely different _inside_ that space.

Yeah, he never really got it either.

"You said that you'd be checking up on nee-chan, right?" he asked finally. He waited, trying not to fidget while his brother continued to stare at him in silence.

"…The people I got in touch with are still collecting information. It hasn't been long enough to figure out what happened to her."

Souta winced, and looked down. Hatori eyed the back of his head, and then looked out the window, at a loss for words. It wasn't like there was anything he could say that would comfort his brother. It was obvious enough that whatever had happened wasn't normal in any sense, especially since whatever had happened was connected in some way with the well. And there was no chance that his family wouldn't have noticed the people coming into the shrine throughout the day to take a look at the well house. Their mother had been handling the intrusion quite well, as had grandpa, though he was still judiciously muttering a line or two about demons and how they'd spirited away his granddaughter.

"She's okay, right?" the younger boy asked in a small voice. Hatori didn't say anything, and instead reached out blindly to place his hand on Souta's head, not shifting his gaze from the window. His fingers absently brushed through the younger boy's soft, short hair.

Souta twitched, and all but clambered into the bed to snuggle in beside his brother's body. Hatori snorted, but didn't say anything to stop him. He'd all but invited the boy by ruffling his hair like that.

"She _will_ be okay, then?"

"Once I find her, yes. After I give her a good talking to first, of course." He added the last bit in an undertone, but Souta heard him anyway, and gave a soft snort of amusement. Hatori smirked slightly, and dropped his head back onto the bed, lazily throwing an arm around the smaller body tucked up against him.

"Go to sleep, brat. I'll tell okaa-san if she comes looking for you later."

Souta mumbled something indistinct, and Hatori shot a discreet look at him. The kid was already half-asleep. Smiling slightly, he gently pulled away so that he could change and switch off the lights.

*

"Mornin', Higurashi."

Hatori started, and looked up from where he was sweeping. Catching sight of a familiar red-headed figure heading towards him, his eyes narrowed, and he reflexively straightened.

"Rem," he murmured, wondering what the aide was doing at the shrine so early. There was no way the researchers could have made it onto the shrine during the night without him finding out, at least, not anywhere near the well house. There were enough wards on the damned place to wake him up however deeply he might have been sleeping. Especially since they were keyed in to his magic.

The other boy was smiling as inanely as ever. Hatori waited patiently. Rem wouldn't speak unless he wanted to, so there was no use pestering him. He only had to wait another second or so before the expression melted away into something less fake and more serious.

"Some of the research gave us a marginally successful result yesterday. I'm not supposed to be here telling you this yet, so you owe me. We clear on that?"

Hatori nodded without question. Rem had helped him before, and they'd squared a bunch of debts as well; he wasn't likely to trick him now.

"Well, the well doesn't head to any place in Tokyo, for one. Or anywhere else in Japan."

Hatori rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. Rem all but pouted.

"It's no fun if you don't try to guess!"

"Excuse me if I just want to hear the information. This _is_ the possible location of my missing sister we're talking about." He answered pointedly. Rem sighed, looking put out, but continued in a mostly serious tone.

"The thing isn't a teleportation device at all. It's a wormhole."

Hatori stiffened, his hands clenching on the broom still in his grasp.

"…Rem, please tell me you're joking."

The boy smiled wryly, and glanced away.

"Do I _look_ like I'm joking? Our information had never been certifiable before, since the well had remained dormant for a long time, but since it was used recently, the readings we got were more, shall we say, credible?" Noting the increasingly stormy expression growing on the dark haired boy's face, Rem hurriedly continued. "Well, more than credible, the results were absolute. Incontrovertible. The well's _definitely_ a wormhole."

Hatori breathed in deeply, trying not to concentrate too deeply on what he was hearing. He waited a second or so longer, just to make sure he wouldn't have an abnormally loud outburst, before speaking.

"Right. A wormhole. Please tell me you people were able to figure out where it led?" he asked plainly. Rem winced.

"That's just it. We won't be able to get any more information until she gets back. The head of your division's been putting a lot of pressure on us to recover more information, on strict orders from the Minister, since your sister's a normal human."

Hatori snorted mirthlessly.

"Yeah, that _would_ freak the minister out; normal human, no magic, no demon blood and managed to trigger a previously benign wormhole on the shrine grounds? I'm surprised the uproar hasn't been more obvious for the past two days."

The redhead sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sure, yeah, I agree with you. Look, I need to get going; if my superiors find out that I told you this stuff…"

"Yeah, yeah. Your ass'll be 'on fire'." The green eyed boy commented cryptically. Rem rolled his eyes, pasted a pleasant smile on his face, and was gone as fast as he had appeared. Hatori was left staring after him with a sick feeling in his gut.

Wormhole. Of all the things the damn thing could have been, it had to be a fucking _wormhole?!!_ With the number of hypothetical parallel dimensions and worlds that existed alongside the main one, Kagome could have landed _anywhere!_

Choking back his unease, he forced himself to think rationally. There was no way that he could figure out how to work it and jump through, nor was it a good idea to do so even if that _were_ possible. All he _could_ do was sit and wait, and hope that she was safe and hadn't gotten into any trouble.

*

"Let me go! You fucking _asshole_, get the hell _offa me_!"

If nothing else, the swearing sure seemed to be freaking them out. The bandits that had grabbed her in the forest hadn't tried anything more than to restrain her, too shocked when she had started verbally abusing them the moment they'd dropped her on the floor of their hideout. A majority of them were treating her like some kind of freakshow. The only reason why one of them was even holding her down in the first place was because their leader had told him too. And wasn't he a great, hulking specimen of 'ugly bastard'.

And maybe she should stop listening to what came out of Hatori's mouth whenever he was in a bad mood.

She stood tall and glared at the leader when he tottered towards them, ignoring the lewd remarks from the guy holding her arms back. When the giant swung, she instinctively flinched away. Possibly the reason why she didn't see the sword go flying over her head and through the head of the guy standing behind her. Though she _did_ feel the blood spurt all over her back.

Screaming, she broke away from the arms that were still spasmodically closed over her elbows. The rest of the bandits were screeching incoherently, but all she had eyes for was the fresh corpse sickly oozing blood where it had collapsed onto the ground. Most of the blood had gotten out in the first spurt. _All over my back,_ she thought blankly.

"The-jewel-"

Starting, she looked up to see the bandit leader staring at her almost hungrily. She would have been a little more worried about what was going on if she hadn't noticed the way the man's piggy eyes were locked on where the shikon jewel was hidden. She groaned mentally, trying to figure out if there was any way she could get out of this one.

"Okashira, take her instead of us, what're you doin'!" she yelped when the bandits all but shoved her at him, and then the giant's meaty hands were closing around the top of her shirt. Muffling a startled shriek, she tried to get away, but her struggling only served to rip up the top of her uniform. And exposed the jewel to open air.

And then the guy's thick fingers were closing around the thrice-damned pink orb, roughly letting go of her and leaving her to crash onto the floor. Hissing angrily, she readied herself to spring at the guy and get it back, but had to jerk herself out of the way when he swung wildly.

Which was when Inuyasha chose to make his spectacular entry, of course.

"Wench, the jewel!" he snarled.

"It's with the fucking ape, dog boy!" she yelled back, looking around wildly to see if there was anything to use as a weapon. Then again, if the dog boy could rip this giant apart the way he did with the mononoke from before…

"It's _**what?!!**_" he demanded, getting out of the way of another wild swing. There was more space to move now, since the rest of the bandits had cleared out. Cowards.

"With that guy, that's why he bloody well _kidnapped_ me!"

The giant hissed, and Kagome was alarmed to notice that his voice didn't sound even remotely human anymore. Inuyasha was looking a little ill, backing away from him. She grabbed one of the spears left behind on the ground, and quickly took up a place behind him.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly, eyes not leaving the guy, who was now swaying side to side, looking drunk.

"The guy's already dead. It's a fucking corpse crow." He ground out, raising an arm to cover his nose and mouth. Kagome blinked, then went green.

"Do I even _want_ to know what you mean by that?" she muttered, feeling sick. Inuyasha snorted, and flexed a hand.

"Well, you're going to find out whether you want to or not, because there's no other way to get back the fucking jewel. Which, if I can add, _you_ _lost._" He spat roughly. Kagome sneered back, but winced inwardly.

Why the hell did stuff like this only happen to her?

*

If her green-eyed brother had heard her right then, he might have felt thoroughly amused. And then have commented that it probably ran in the family.

"Are we clear on what we need to do?"

He grunted irately, but stuck to the shadows in the alley. Chase was pressed against the wall opposite him, closer to the mouth.

"Higurash-"

"_Yes_, Chase. We're clear." He muttered, eyes locked on the mouth of the alley. Whatever he'd been expecting when he'd turned up at the Ministry today, the last mission he'd expected was to ransack the house of some small-time artefact trader. Especially not one that was trying to get into human trafficking.

Then again, judging by the Manager's sharp smile when he was outlining the case, he shouldn't be all that surprised. Especially after Kurosawa murmured that the trader and his non-sentient goods were 'expendable'. Never let it be said that the Manager didn't take care of his underlings when they were in a bad mood.

The gruff, older man's hair was hanging limply, the shade an odd mix of dark silver and black. Hatori had tried not to stare when he'd first seen it, since that wasn't a combination he'd ever seen before. Most of the emotions that involuntarily triggered Chase's mostly dormant metamorphic abilities were loud or violent. Hence the varying shades of pink, red and yellow hair he'd seen so often. He'd never seen the man with either silver or black, though grey was his natural colour. Or, at least, the shade that he _claimed_ was his natural colour.

"Then I'll hunt down our man, you take care of exploding the goods once we get in," Chase murmured. Hatori nodded, idly noting that the hair hadn't flashed red like it usually did whenever he spoke about hunting anyone down.

"Chase, you feeling ok?" he asked suddenly, then cursed himself for speaking at all, especially when the older man gave him an odd, pensive look. Hatori's fingers curled slightly where they were pressed against the wall, nails scrapping slightly against its rough surface.

"…I'm fine. You don't need to worry about it." The other man said finally. Hatori almost sighed in relief, before a frown flitted across his face.

"Who says I was worried?" he shot back irreverently. Chase blinked in surprise, and he snorted, hair shifting away from black and closer towards yellow. Hatori had to wince at the stomach-turning mix of silver and dark yellow, but it was back to a grey-ish black before he could make any comments.

Chase blinked at him and then swore violently, running a hand through his hair. It abruptly went a full grey. Before the green-eyed boy could say anything more, Chase was gone. Hatori muttered a curse, and rushed out after him, since Chase wouldn't be able to get through their quarry's door without making a scene or alerting him.

By the time he had gotten up the stairs of the seedy apartment complex the man lived in, Chase had already forced his way through the front door. Hatori had just stepped into the corridor when the pale-eyed man was blasted out of the way. And a greasy-haired, shirtless guy was dashing right toward him, arm already raised to shove him out of the way.

Hatori raised an eyebrow, and planted his feet firmly on the ground. By the time greasy-and-shirtless had realised just how bad an idea it was to come running in his direction, Hatori had his arm up, hand out with his palm facing him. It took barely a second for him to focus his intent, and the energy sizzled down his veins to pool at the centre of his hand.

Right on cue, a silent shockwave rocked the corridor, knocking the guy off his feet mid-run.

Shaking his hand out absently, Hatori stepped forward, soon joined by Chase, who was shaking his head from side to side dazedly.

"Fucking _hate_ it when you do that," he grumbled. Hatori snorted, and eyed the gibbering man collapsed against the wall. The few people that had come out to see what was going on quickly went back inside, not wanting to get involved.

"You should have waited until I came up. What happened to sticking to the 'plan'?" he shot back irately. Chase rolled his eyes, and crouched down in front of the trader, lips parting in a toothy grin.

"Maybe I wanted to say hello to this bastard before you got here." He offered. The man squeaked, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Chase groaned, and quickly reached out to steady him, while Hatori sighed, turning away to head towards the still open door.

"Get the idiot inside, he must be new to the business." He threw over his shoulder, pausing at the doorway for a moment to eye the unkempt, stained rooms he could see from where he was standing. Shifting out of the way when Chase pointedly cleared his throat behind him, he waited for the grey haired man to pass while wondering if he should give Kurosawa a call and find out if the Manager actually wanted the man 'disposed' of or not. Then again, they'd probably be doing the underworld a _favour_ by getting rid of the weakling.

There wasn't anything particularly untoward about the front room, except for the suspicious stains of the lone couch shoved up against the wall and the heavy drapes pulled across the windows. He didn't know why the man bothered; the glass was likely too encrusted in grime for any light to get through. Chase coolly dumped the trader on the couch, and dropped into a predatory crouch in front of him, lips still spread in a nasty smirk. Hatori rolled his eyes, and walked past the two men, heading deeper into the apartment. He was actually surprised that it was so big, if he hadn't known better, he would have assumed that magic was behind it. Cracking his knuckles idly, he hoped that there wouldn't be any unexpected complications. It was tiring when that ha-

The sudden flicker of movement to the right made him drop to the floor instinctively, and not a moment too soon, as a blade slashed through where his head had been a second ago. The metal screeched as it was dragged through the wall, and Hatori threw himself backwards, twisting in a well practiced move that brought him back to him feet before the swordsman had completely turned to face him. The second that bought him was enough to correct his initial assumption – his attacker was female.

She gave a wordless snarl; bringing her sword down in a harsh slice that would have cleaved right through his skull and into his torso. Flinging his arm upwards, he brought his energy to bear, and felt it surge out vertically, creating a temporary cushion of air that stopped the sword momentarily.

More than enough time for Chase to wrap his hand around her neck and swing her round into a wall. Her head met crumbling plaster with a disgusting crunch, and Hatori watched dispassionately as the older man slammed her face into the wall once more, twice, until the sword slipped out of nerveless fingers. The old, stained wall of the corridor now had a rather attractive splash of red on it. If only the splash pattern had been a little more spread out… Hatori shoved the thought away, disturbed with how his mind worked in sometimes.

And Chase was suddenly leaning down slightly in front of him, trying to peer into his eyes. Hatori blinked, and quickly looked away, not comfortable with the sudden attention.

"…What?" he grumbled, cracking his knuckles again. Chase snorted, and pulled away.

"You okay?"

"…I can take care of myself." He muttered, stepping around the grey-haired man to investigate the room that the woman had been in before she had attacked. His eyebrows rose, taking in the multiple boxes stacked all throughout the room. Chase put a hand on the doorjamb above his head and leaned in to take a look as well. He whistled lowly.

"Don't think the guy was all that new to the business, runt."

"Not to trading, no. It's the human aspect that he might be new to. Would explain the girl, wouldn't it?"

"What, a paid bodyguard? You're kidding, right? Chicks like her don't get hired by greasy small-timers like him."

Hatori sighed, and looked up to frown at Chase from where he was standing.

"Not unless he got involved with a bigger group. You didn't kill him yet, did you?"

Chase blinked at that, then rolled his eyes. His hair flashed an odd shade of yellowish-orange before it went grey again.

"No, not yet. Guess we'll just have to take him in for questioning. What about the chick?"

Hatori's eyebrows climbed another millimetre or so.

"What, she's not dead yet?"

Chase's hair flashed an ugly red, and he gave a sharp grin.

"Not yet, no."

Hatori blinked at that, then made a face and shoved him out, firmly shutting the door behind himself. He started with the boxes furthest from the door, pointedly ignoring any sounds coming from the other side of the door. He just hoped the man had the sense to get some information from her before he was done. Then again, from the head bashing she had gone through before, it was unlikely that she was in any state to answer any questions. And while Chase was capable of leglimency, it wasn't something he used often.

The door swung open much before he was done, but he didn't bother to turn around until all the boxes had been sorted through. When he finally turned back to face the door, he found Chase leaning against the doorjamb and watching him silently, his generically shaded duster stained red at the ankles. He raised an eyebrow in response.

"Checked the other room, found a bunch of kids sitting inside a cage."

He blinked at that, and quickly shoved past the older man to go to the next room, ignoring the blood pooled on the floor, already beginning to coagulate in places. The body was already gone, which he was grateful for. It would be hard enough to get the kids out with all the blood; they didn't need to see the body that went with it. He didn't need to ask how the body had been disposed of. Chase had always maintained that western magic was much more useful in situations like this.

He stepped into the room, eyes immediately drawn towards to the large steel cage shoved to one side, the locks having been ripped off. The kids were still cowering inside, though. He sighed.

"Chase, you oaf, did you have to scare them that badly?" he called out, striding forward to kneel down in front of the door to the cage. There were four boys and three girls inside, probably not a day older than five. He dragged what Kurosawa called his 'big brother persona' out, and gave a friendly smile.

"Come on out, kids. We're here to take you back home." He offered, careful not to reach out. He waited until they slowly pulled away from each other, and a small, black haired girl finally crawled forward. She stopped just out of his arm-reach to stare back at him. He was quick to notice that her eyes were a beautiful shade of prussian blue, which were striking against her pale skin and straight, jet black hair. Definitely not completely indigenous.

"Why should we trust you?" she asked quietly, and Hatori forced himself not to look away. Her eyes were large, almost hypnotic, and very, very tired. It was disturbing to see a child with such a weary expression.

"Because almost any place should be better that this dump?" Chase threw out sarcastically, standing right outside the door, though he made no move to come closer. Hatori was relieved when his comment didn't send the girl scurrying back, though he was certain that one of the other kids whimpered. His smile didn't waver at all.

"Don't mind my friend, he can be rather rude sometimes," he offered, tilting his head to the side. The girl stared back, before sighing and nodding.

"But, he's got a point. We can leave. If nothing else, we won't be sitting inside a cage anymore," She said softly. The other children slowly began to trickle forward, and Hatori was unsurprised to note that each and every one of them had marginally exotic features.

'Not purely human _trafficking_ then,' he thought, mildly amused. Things just kept getting better and better for the poor trader.

"Come along, then. We'll be waiting in the next room while my friend calls the police," he murmured, knowing without looking that Chase had stepped out to give the Manager a call. Once the seven kids were out, the blue eyed girl looked up at him shrewdly.

"Whoever he's calling, it won't be the police." She said, smiling when Hatori gave her a roguish smirk.

"Not the police that you would be used to, no." he answered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jacket. He led the way to the front room, past the room filled with boxes, pausing only to give them a second to build enough courage to step past the blood still fresh and pooled on the ground. None of the children made any comments, though one of the boys looked green.

By the time Chase stepped back into the apartment, all the children were clustered at the base of the couch, while Hatori perched beside the still unconscious trader.

"The Manager said he'd get in touch with the normal side of things. We'll be having a representative from the children's services her as well, along with the police." He said brusquely, snapping his mobile shut. Hatori nodded, and looked down to smile at the kids. He was amused to see at least half of them smile back.

"Shouldn't be too long until you're home. Are all of you from Tokyo?" he asked gently. They looked at each other, and two boys and a girl nodded. The rest shook their heads, making him sigh.

"No worries, I'm sure you'll be taken back to your homes. How long have you been here?"

The blue eyed girl, obviously their leader of sorts, hummed thoughtfully, her gaze drifting around the grimy, stained interior of the apartment.

"…Maybe a couple weeks. Not too long, though. We were being held somewhere else before we were brought here."

Hatori nodded pleasantly.

"By the same guy?" he asked, silently indicating the trader beside him. The girl nodded. He sighed again, before smiling.

"I'm Hatori, by the way. What about you?"

The kids blinked up at him, and looked at each other again, before one of the boys piped up.

"I'm Mori. I'm 6!" he declared excitedly, his dark green eyes glittering madly, and was quickly followed by a few others. Hatori couldn't help but laugh in response.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mori. And the rest of you, of course." He added. The blue eyed girl continued to smile, but her eyes were just as tired as before.

"I'm sorry that we can't say that same, Hatori-san." She said quietly. The kids immediately settled down, looked subdued. Hatori nodded easily, not surprised, and pushed himself off of the couch when Chase motioned for him to come out.

After all, it wasn't like they would have met each other if the kids hadn't been in this situation. It would have been very strange if they had actually been happy to meet him.

*

"…I still don't see why you took it upon yourself to fucking _drop me home,_ Chase." Hatori growled, walking swiftly up the temple stairs. Chase followed him sedately at a safe distance, not saying anything. But, the silence was answer enough.

"_Just thought you could use some company, brat. And I had some work in that direction anyway, so…"_

Might have been believable if Hatori hadn't noticed his hair flash that odd shade of silver-black again. It was only for a second, but a second was long enough. He had to force himself not to spin around and shove the overbearing man down the stairs.

Pity. The last thing he needed was fucking _pity_.

By the time he was at the top of the stairs, he was practically seething. He barely stopped himself from lashing out when Chase caught him by the shoulders to spin him round.

"_What?!" _he demanded angrily. Chase scowled down at him.

"Stop acting like a brat, brat." He grumbled. Hatori couldn't help but roll his eyes at that eloquent statement.

"I'll stop acting like a brat if you quit _following me._" He threw back irreverently, making the older man sigh.

"Look, I-"

"You what, felt bad for me so you decided to bring me back home and pat me on the head like an abandoned puppy?" he sneered back. Chase blinked, and his hair flashed a brilliant sunshine yellow. Hatori was marginally alarmed to see that the colour stayed this time.

"Not an abandoned puppy, no. I think you're more kitten material, myself." He commented, looking supremely amused when Hatori hissed back.

"Leave me _alone_, Chase." The green eyed teen ground out. Chase snorted, but only stepped back enough to allow Hatori to spin away and continue to trudge up the path. The seventeen year old was dismayed to find that he was still being followed.

Really, he didn't get the man sometimes. He was utterly obnoxious, intolerable, in-your-face and violent at the best of times, but he would turn around and act like a completely different person otherwise. This was a very good example of 'otherwise'. He just wished he could understand what went through that head… Then again, maybe he was better off not knowing-

He stopped short, so suddenly that Chase crashed into his back. He didn't even wait to hear the apology, shooting down the path like a bullet. He distantly heard Chase cry out, but it didn't really matter to him. Not now, anyway. Not in this instant.

The wards had lit up. From the _inside_. And there was only one possible reason for that.

_Kagome._

*

"The _nerve_ of that-that-that fucking _asshole_, shitty excuse for a dog demon, who the bloody fuck does he think he _is_, _oooh…"_

Okay, so she had screwed up. Big time. It wasn't like she'd purposely been aiming for the damned crow's stomach, though! And, really, it was amazing that she'd been able to fire off an arrow successfully in the _first_ place, since she'd never done it before in her entire life. It had been a fluke, she was _sure_ of it.

Just her luck that her fluke shot went and hit the jewel. _Through_ the stomach of the crow. Gah.

But, that didn't give that dumb dog-boy _any right_ to be so self-righteous, and overbearing, and patronising, and-and-and what fucking right did he have to keep comparing her to _Kikyo_, anyway? They _weren't _the same person! They _weren't._

"God, he just makes me so _mad-"_ she stopped muttering curses only when she caught sight of the well, and smiled in relief, clutching her uniform close to herself. Her gateway to civilization.

She hoped.

Laughing nervously, she took a peek over the side, wondering how far the drop was, and flinched back when she caught sight of the bones at the bottom.

'Oh, the mononoke…' she thought, shifting uncomfortably. But, it wasn't like she had a choice. This was her only ticket back home, so-

Feeling a sharp bite of pain across her throat, she bit back a cry, stumbling away from the source and leaning back against the low well wall. She lifting a shaking hand to press it against her neck, and felt something wet. She swallowed, and hastily rubbed her hand against her hakama. She didn't need to look at her fingers to know what the substance was. Blood. Her own. Something that she had been getting uncomfortably familiar with ever since she had landed in the Sengoku Judai.

She looked up, and the around, alarmed to find herself surrounded by what seemed to be a cage of strings. And then, multiple strands suddenly lashed out at her, and she almost fell head over heels into the well, only just managing to catch herself on the wall. Of course, she wasn't nearly as relieved when she caught sight of the little pouch containing the jewel shard coolly being tugged away, already far out of her reach.

"Hey! Give that back! Who's there?!" she yelled out, futilely reaching out for it while ignoring the strands that were cutting her hand. If she lost that damn shard, she'd never hear the end of it-

No, wait. Who was she trying to prove herself to, anyway? A dumb dog-boy that spent his every waking moment insulting her, or comparing her to his dead girlfriend? Not that he'd said anything that pointed to the latter, but something told her that the assumption was right on target.

She tried not to groan when a pretty, dark haired and scantily clad demon seemed to float down from the canopy of the forest, just in time to grab the pouch. Kagome glared up at her, making the demon giggle in amusement.

"Oh, sorry. Did I forget to introduce myself? I'm-"

"Look, I don't _care_ who you are, just give me the thrice-damned jewel shard, lady!" she yelled back, absently noting that she'd sounded rather like Inuyasha just then. The demon sniffed in response, frowning delicately.

"Oh, how rude. Very well, no need for small talk. You may die now."

_Say WHAT?_

Kagome yelped, trying to get away from the female demon flying down at her, and was horrified to find herself falling backwards.

The last thing she saw before everything dissolved into a vaguely familiar indigo-blue-black limbo was the demon's sword flying right at her. Thankfully, she was whisked away before the damned thing could connect. Just figured, didn't it?

When she finally hit the ground, it wasn't nearly as hard as it could have been. She blinked up at the ceiling blearily, wondering what the hell had just happened, before it hit her.

_Ceiling._

The well didn't have a ceiling. At least, not in the _Sengoku Judai._

She gasped, and shoved herself up on her elbows, then sat up completely, trying not to pay attention to the multitude of bones surrounding her. They didn't matter. She just had to get up and out of the well, and she would never need to see them again. Stumbling towards the well wall, she scrabbled round, trying desperately to find the rungs that would no doubt be there, regardless of how old the well was. They had to be there. They _had to._ How would she get out otherwise? No one knew that she was back; there was no other way that she could-

"_KAGOME!"_

She stopped her scrabbling, nails slowly scrapping against the damp stone as her arms fell away from the well wall, unable to believe that she was actually hearing what she was, well, hearing. That _voice_, she'd been beginning to think that she wouldn't hear it anywhere except for in her head-

"Ha'ri-ani!" she yelled back, unable to stop herself from using her childish catchphrase, sight going blurry as tears began to form in her eyes. She felt like a blubbering fool, but she _couldn't help it,_ because she was _back home_, and-

And there he was, leaning over the side of the well wall, light streaming in from the open doorway behind him. His eyes were wide, pale skin obviously flushed. She could make out even from the bottom of the damned well. His hair was ruffled messily, windswept and he looked like he'd run here all the way from the shrine. And he looked so desperately hopeful and relieved; the emotions clear as the light of day in a way that she hadn't seen since she'd been seven.

She didn't even know how he managed to get her out, all she knew was that they both somehow stumbled out of the well house, and she was crying like a baby. Hatori had his arms wrapped tightly around her, rubbing her back and letting her cry and having him there, having her big brother there after the shit she'd been through was so _comforting_ that she just couldn't stop sobbing.

"Oi, Higurashi, what the fuck-"

She forced herself to stop blubbering, and peeked over Hatori's shoulder, staring in a mixture of embarrassment and unabashed curiosity at the man that had appeared behind her brother. He had messy grey hair, slightly longer in the front than the back and almost framing his face in a jagged sort of way. Though she could have _sworn_ that it had looked white a second ago… Tall, with a strong jaw, a sharp nose, and dark, narrow grey eyes peering down at her in surprise. Dressed in a scruffy white shirt and dark trousers, and a generically coloured duster thrown over the rest. It was only after she had taken all this in that she belatedly noticed that her brother had gone stiff.

"Ah, aniki…" she began carefully, but he didn't do much more that step back slightly, though his arm was still securely wrapped around her waist. She took the moment to quickly dab at her face with her sleeves, trying to make herself look at least partially presentable.

"Chase-san, I don't think I've introduced you to my sister…"

The murmur of her brother's voice was equal parts polite and cold. And very disturbing, overall. She hadn't realised that her brother could _sound_ like that.

But, Chase-san didn't look surprised at the tone, only amused, and he gave a short, polite bow. Kagome quickly pulled herself away from her brother's arm to bow back. When she straightened, Chase-san had stepped closer, and she was alarmed to notice that Hatori was scowling angrily. The grey haired man gave her a small smile, before his attention turned back to her brother.

"_It's not nice to run away like that, y'know," _he drawled, looking mildly irritated. Hatori rolled his eyes, and shot her a narrow-eyed look, warning her not to interfere, before he turned back to the older man. And Kagome was amazed to hear him answering in English as well. It had been months since she'd heard her sibling speak in his mother tongue.

"_I had my reasons. That you very well know about. Now get the fuck out of here, asshole."_

She blinked at that, unable to stop herself from staring. Chase was carding a hand through his hair, looking as though he was caught between amusement and irritation, while her brother had his arms crossed and was staring up at him with a bored look on his face. Or, it would have been bored if it weren't for the fact that his eyes looked as though they were spitting poisonous emerald green flames at the older man.

And, inspite of everything else that she might have gone through in the Sengoku Judai, despite the fact that she'd been bawling till about, oh, five seconds ago, she couldn't help but feel more gleeful than ever before when she took in her brother's expression. He was doing something else than smiling. For _once._ He was actually doing something other than giving those polite, friendly and positively fake smiles when talking to someone other than family!

She didn't know if she should be proud or worried. Because while he wasn't giving a fake smile, he wasn't exactly being very nice, either.

Their stalemate lasted another minute or so, neither budging from their positions, before Chase snorted and rolled his eyes, stepping back.

"Sure thing, runt. See you at work tomorrow. Nice meeting you, kid." The latter was directed towards her. She blinked in surprise, before giving a wan smile. Work. Hatori _worked_ with this guy. Catching sight of the red stains at the base of the man's duster, she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know just what kind of work they did together. Then again, it wasn't like she didn't know that her aniki was involved in something dangerous. She'd known about that for long enough. She was jolted out of her musing only when Hatori threw an arm over her shoulders.

"So, sister dearest, mind telling me where you've been for the last three days?" he asked easily, though she could hear the underlying steel in his voice. She laughed nervously.

"Oh, uh… could I tell that in front of everyone? I want to say it only once, so…" she trailed off, staring up at him plaintively. She waited as he eyed her seriously, green eyes dark and probing. Finally, he sighed, and nodded. He gave her a tired smile, one that showed just how worried he'd been ever since she'd disappeared. She felt a twinge of remorse, even though it hadn't really been her fault. And, if _aniki _was showing so much emotion, she didn't even _want_ to know how worried the rest of her family was.

Mama. Grandpa. Souta.

And, just like that, her eyes were filled with tears again, except this time, there was a smile tugging at her lips as well. And her aniki didn't even looked surprised, he simply smiled back, pulled her into a warm, comfortable one-armed hug.

"Okaerinasai, Kagome." He murmured, voice a comforting backdrop to the relief flowing through her. She laughed softly in response, just happy to be back.

"Tadaima, aniki."

* * *

Hello all! Well, while this chapter could have possibly come out sooner, I managed to get it out in less time than the last update. Hopefully that counts for something, eheh… Please tell me if any of you catch any typos, since I posted this one in a bit of a rush.

So, in this we see the darker aspect of Hatori's life, i.e.; his work. And his crazy relationship with Chase. Not to worry about the role played by Chase and Rem, by the way. They won't suddenly be taking over the story. Rem was needed since I didn't have a canon character to put there, while Chase will be important only by virtue of the role played by him with relation to Hatori, NOT to the story. This is to reassure the readers who don't like OCs, since I know for a fact that there are many out there. And, Kagome's finally back in modern day Japan, hallelujah!

Also, this is the last update that I will be making for Hatori until my final exams are complete. Since I'm graduating this year, I'd like to put in at least _some_ effort this time around. I'll definitely be back with another update some time after May, since that's when my exams end. Hopefully you enjoyed this piece.

Please **review**! They offer sustenance to my exam tortured mind…


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